


After Time and Trial

by Chameleon777



Series: Complicated Yesterdays [1]
Category: CSI: Miami, Third Watch
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-13 14:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleon777/pseuds/Chameleon777
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some time after "Goodbye to Camelot". What is happening in New York now? There are questions to be answered and hidden secrets forcefully revealed. This story eliminates most of Season 5 of Third Watch (except 'No More, Forever')and makes the finale and preceding events happen in 2004.</p><p>I do not own Third Watch. However, the new characters and plots are MINE. Alternate History.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Place Called Home

Bed-Stuy. A place that was called home.

It wasn't the most attractive neighborhood in New York City, but it was generally clean and it was pretty safe, something that counted in the long run. That, and it was an affordable place to live comfortably. 

Some of the toughest, but nicest people lived there including an outspoken, but extremely compassionate female paramedic who didn't fit into any of society's rules of conformity. Trying to fit in with everyone else just wasn't her nature or desire.

Danielle had lived in the area for only a short while, but to her, the place felt like home. 

She had the potential to become a great doctor with her brains and determination.

With long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, Danielle had immediately made a strong impression on all of her colleagues and everyone around her. They said that she reminded them of someone who once graced the streets of New York, but had since moved away to a quieter area. She was very well cared for, regardless.

However, there were three very good reasons why she, despite completing medical school, chose the career of a paramedic. Danielle's reasons were named John, David, and Ellie. They meant everything to her and she meant everything to each of them.

At 28, Danielle had been through a lot of things in life that many had not. Her three children had been the products of an abusive, loveless relationship. Their father was across the country and not involved at all.

John was only 16, but he acted so much older some days, as he was the man of the family and knew the importance of being law-abiding and responsible. David was at the innocent age of nine, but, like John, his maturity often surpassed his age. Ellie was her angel and at the tender age of six, Danielle wanted her to grow up in a safe place, a luxury that her brothers did not have as young children due to circumstance beyond personal control. 

"Hey, Danielle!" a voice suddenly said. "Time to stop day dreaming and get to work!"

Danielle, who had been staring at the sidewalk lost in her thoughts, looked up and saw that her partner, Jacob Wray, was leaning against the door of the ambulance, watching her with an amused look on his face.

Jacob was 20 years older than her, but he was the closest thing she had to family. Jacob was a husband and father, but his own kids had left the nest long ago, so he was more than happy to have Danielle, whom he affectionately referred to as "Niella" under his wing.

"Sorry, Jacob," Danielle said, looking up at him and walking over to the ambulance. "I was just lost in my thoughts. I'm ready to work now, though."

Jacob grinned, "That's cool," he said, a hint of affection in his voice. "Dispatch called and we're needed over at the video store. There was a botched robbery not too long ago."

Danielle gave Jacob a disbelieving look, "In the middle of the day?" she asked. "I guess anything and everything happens here at some point in history."

As Danielle got into the passenger seat, Jacob chuckled, "Oh, Nielle," he said, smiling at her as he got behind the wheel. "You are one heck of a person."

Knowing that Jacob genuinely meant it, Danielle smiled at him and, as the ambulance took off down the street, she self-consciously buckled her seatbelt. Jacob's remained undone so he could respond faster when they arrived.

****

Within minutes, as Jacob had run every red light they had encountered en route, the two arrived at the local video store. 

Not surprisingly, the first thing they saw as the ambulance pulled over was that the cops were already on the scene. 

As Danielle and Jacob exited the ambulance carrying med-kits Danielle saw that Officer Boscorelli and his tall, but quiet partner, Officer LaRusso, had responded to the call and they were talking to a young boy just outside the store doorway, which was blocked with yellow police tape.

"Boscorelli, LaRusso!, Jacob hollered casually, strolling towards the officers. "Any word on the perp yet?"

LaRusso sighed patiently, but Bosco rolled his eyes, "We police officers are currently working on that," he said, both annoyed and amused at Jacob's constant attempts to play the part of officer and be involved in solving crimes.

Ignoring the tension between Boscorelli and Jacob, Danielle strolled over to the doorway and, ducking under the police tape, she entered the store. A man with a bloody forehead sat on a chair behind a counter that held a computer.

"Oh, thank goodness, it's the medical people," the man said in a slightly Russian accent, as Danielle approached him. "These little punks came in and shot up my store and started saying swearwords at me. Those little brats hit me in the head and ran off with all of my money."

Danielle studied the wound, it looked bad, "You probably need stitches from Mercy, but I'll clean all the blood off of you first," she said, as she opened some supplies and began to clean the blood off of Jacob's forehead.

By the time Jacob had quit trying to look macho in front of Boscorelli and LaRusso and entered the store, Danielle had already helped Jacob to his feet and was helping him out of the store. There was a blood-stained pad taped to the wound on his head.

"It's about time you showed up to help me, Jacob," Danielle said, as the three exited the store. "If you wanted to be a cop so bad, you should have joined the police academy instead of the firehouse."

Jacob grinned sheepishly, as they got the man settled on the gurney in the back of the ambulance, "My wife won't let me do that," he admitted. "She's worried if I become a cop, I'll end up brutally murdered."

Just then, after having a look at the wrecked video store, Bosco and LaRusso strolled over to the ambulance to see how the guy was doing. After all, they were tough cops, but they DID show compassion.

"How's the old guy doing?" Bosco asked, as he peered into the ambulance.

Jacob glared at Bosco for his crassness, but said nothing, instead choosing to look after their patient and ignore the cops altogether. Danielle, however, smiled at the cops politely and instead of focusing on the strange bandage that Boscorelli had over one side of his face, she focused her eyes on theirs.

"He'll be fine and back running his video store by tomorrow," Danielle said, as she shut one of the doors. "Thanks for all of your help, guys. We'll see you both again sometime, I'm sure."

LaRusso nodded and smiled, but Bosco, who often felt self-conscious about the bandage on his face, turned away and walked back to the store. LaRusso gave the paramedics an apologetic look and jogged off.

Shaking her head, Danielle pulled the other door shut as Jacob, who had gotten into the driver's seat, drove off down the street.

Unknown to anyone, there was a rough looking man named Marco DeLoche hiding in an alley just beside the video store who had not only seen the paramedics, but had recognized the female one from the description of her that was given by his boss. 

Marco thought back as to when She was even more beautiful and yet, so much more naïve, than he described her. Danielle was so appealing that Marco almost wanted to take her for himself. However, if he did that, Marco knew that his boss would be angry enough to possibly kill him and take her anyway.

Marco smiled as he watched the ambulance turn a corner; life would turn chaotic very, very soon.


	2. Past Trouble Presents Peril

Even though she was scheduled for the third watch shift, Danielle had managed to convince Captain Doherty, her ever wise boss, to let her go home and spend time with her kids.

In exchange, she had agreed to work until midnight the next day, which was a tiring prospect, but she was sure that her beloved children would understand and be okay looking after themselves for that long.

Now, after a walk in the crisp evening air, Danielle was back at the modest townhouse that she and her three children had lived in for the last several months and hoped to live in for a long time.

"John, did you go to the grocery store after school and get the things on the list I gave you?" Danielle asked, as she walked into her kitchen and saw her eldest, a dark haired, pale teenage boy, hunched over a textbook and notebook.

John straightened up and looked at his mother with tender blue eyes, "Yes, mom, I did," he said, smiling. "I got the groceries and then I got David and Ellie from school. We all took a city bus home together."

Danielle smiled, "Where are David and Ellie?" she asked, as she opened the fridge and got a package of chicken and a pack of frozen vegetables out for dinner.

"David is in his room doing homework and Ellie is…" John broke off as Ellie, who was small and had blue eyes and long blond, angel-like hair, and David, who looked a lot like John except that he had blonde hair, suddenly came into the kitchen. Overjoyed to see their mother, the two children hugged her.

"Oh, my babies, I love all three of you," Danielle said, as she put the chicken and the vegetables on the stove and turned the stove on. "Now, David, go finish your homework and Ellie, go put away your clothes."

Luke and Ellie nodded obediently and left the kitchen. Danielle smiled and turned back to the stove.

"Mom, there's some strange men heading up to the door!" Luke suddenly yelled from the living room.

Danielle turned off the stove and hurried into the living room. Her eyes widened as she saw three men carrying weapons, which she recognized from a long time ago, marching towards her front door.

"Oh, DANIELLE!" she heard one of the men drunkenly holler in a cruel. "Edward's looking for you!"

Before Danielle could reply, a brick sailed through the window, sending glass everywhere.

As the men began to bang on the door, hoping to break in, Danielle hurried into the kitchen, "John, take David and Ellie and get out of here now," she ordered. "We've been found."

Realizing what his mother meant, John quickly stood up and, leaving his homework on the table, he grabbed David and Ellie's hands and quietly opening the back door, the three children tore out into the alley.

Danielle closed the back door and moved into the living room just as the front door burst open and the three men entered the house, brandishing their weapons. They grinned evilly at Danielle.

"We meet again, Danielle," Marco said in a menacing voice as he cracked his knuckles.

As the men came into the house and surrounded her, Danielle knew that she might die, but her kids would be safe at least. Hopefully, they would find someone who would bring help before it was too late.  
***************************  
"Boscorelli, let's go!" LaRusso said, as he hollered up the stairs towards the locker room. "Night shift started almost an hour and a half ago!"

There was a grunt from the top of the stairs, then silence. LaRusso sighed, Bosco would always take forever when it came to getting ready for night watch. He would either be messing with that bandage on his face, or his hair. Bosco ALWAYS had to look hot, even if they spent the shift sitting in the patrol car.

The door suddenly burst open and LaRusso immediately recognized John, who was carrying a crying Ellie and holding to David's hand as he dragged him inside and shut the door.

"My mom's in trouble, Officer LaRusso," John said, his voice tired from running several blocks carrying a small girl and dragging his brother. "Some bad men broke into our house, so she told us to run."

LaRusso suddenly became concerned, but before he could answer, Bosco, who was now ready to go out on night watch, came down the stairs whistling. He stopped as he saw the three kids standing there.

"Shouldn't you be at home doing kid things?" Bosco asked, unaware of the situation.

Aggravated by Bosco's ignorance, John glared at the brash cop and rattled off a bunch of nasty nicknames that were mostly curse words and slang. He only stopped when David put a hand on his shoulder.

"Officer Boscorelli, I think some bad men are hurting our mom," David said, as he wiped Ellie's tears with his shirt sleeve. "She got us outside as they were breaking into our house."

LaRusso gazed at Bosco, "We'd better go and check it out," he insisted. "I just have a bad feeling…"

Bosco scoffed, he HATED when LaRusso had "feelings" about cases, "All right, we'll go check it out," he snapped, not looking forward to it. "You stay here in the station and give us your address."

Since John refused to say anything to Bosco other than slang or cuss words, as he HATED Bosco due to the fact that he was always trying to make impossible situations better and take the credit for it, Luke quickly gave the cops the address. Then, at LaRusso's direction, the three retreated into the officer's lounge to wait.

Worried that there could be danger, both cops did not hesitate in getting to the scene in their squad car.  
******************************  
Less than thirty minutes later, the officers had arrived at the townhouse and immediately saw the door wide open and various items were strewn all over the steps and lawn in several pieces. It looked like a war zone.

"It looked like a bomb went off in the house," Bosco said, as they exited the car and travelled up the sidewalk to the house, being careful not to step on anything. "I guess something DID happen."

LaRusso edged up the townhouse stairs first, "Wow, the inside of the house looks worse," he said, shining his flashlight inside and peering around at the living room. "We know there was more than one perp here."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Bosco followed LaRusso through the doorway and for a moment, they stood in the living room. Pictures, personal items, and various household items were everywhere. Furniture was overturned and books were scattered all over the floor, some had pages ripped from them.

Bosco swore, "Where's their mother at?" he asked, both aggravated and concerned that he was here in this mess of a living room with LaRusso and they had not found any person yet.

LaRusso sighed and together, they went into the kitchen. Neither officer was prepared for the sight that greeted their tired eyes.


	3. Tensions Rising

Broken glass from dishes and glasses was scattered throughout the small kitchen. The table was overturned and all of the drawers had been opened, their contents now strewn all over the floor. It was a disaster.

After creeping through the house, which was ransacked, Bosco and LaRusso came into the kitchen and to their horror, Danielle was lying on the floor, unconscious and surrounded in glass. Her face was bruised and there was blood everywhere. From what they could tell, Danielle had been seriously beaten.

"LaRusso, go call for paramedics, I'll stay here and secure the scene," Bosco said, as he moved into the kitchen to further assess the scene.

LaRusso nodded and quickly rushed outside. A few moments later, Bosco could hear footsteps.

"You couldn't have phoned the ambulance already, LaRusso," Bosco said, as he began looking at the damage done to Danielle. "I know for a fact that you're not Speedy Gonzales."

There was silence for a moment, so Bosco turned around and was annoyed to see John standing there.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE SQUAD CAR!" Bosco shouted, giving the rebellious teen a glare for disobeying his orders. "It's not safe in here! I thought I locked the door"

John didn't move, he instead folded his arms, "You can't tell me what to do," he snapped, glaring at Bosco. "Obviously you're not doing a thing to help my mother, so I'd better stay and make sure you work. I know how to pick locks and besides, you were dumb enough to leave your set of keys in there. I used those to get out and I locked David and Ellie in the car. Your keys are in my pocket."

For a moment, Bosco and John glared each other in silence. John HATED police officers, as he saw them as failures to the protection of mankind. Bosco couldn't believe that John was being such a brat at the moment.

Fortunately, before a fight could break out between the two, LaRusso returned. He noticed John and Bosco in a standoff, looking like they wanted to kill each other. Trying to keep the peace, he cleared his throat.

"John, why don't you go and keep your brother and sister calm?" LaRusso suggested, as he moved to stand between the two. "The paramedics will be here soon and Bosco, we should assess her injuries."

Shooting a death glare at Bosco, John nodded and, stuffing his hands in his pockets, he stalked out of the house. LaRusso sighed, his partner was obviously upset about the teen, but nothing could be done.

"Okay, let's assess her injuries so we have something to tell the paramedics," LaRusso said, kneeling beside Danielle and ignoring the crushed shards under his knees.

Bosco silently knelt on the other side of Danielle. From what he could see, Danielle's injuries would probably require surgery. Neither LaRusso nor Bosco knew whether or not the attack was intentional.

As the two cops got to work, faint sirens could be heard in the distance. Hopefully, Danielle would make it.  
****************************************  
Neighborhoods away, Jimmy and Kim Doherty lay in bed together, sleeping peacefully with no worry.

Suddenly, the phone, which was on a table beside the bed, rang. Kim let out a groan and since Jimmy had to work the next day and she didn't want the phone to wake Joey or Camille, she sat up in bed and quietly picked up the receiver.

"This is Kim Doherty," she said into the phone. "What can I do for you?"

Within moments, as the person on the phone, who turned out to be the night clerk at the Bed Stuy Precinct, had told the news of the attack to Kim, Kim had turned and now began shaking Jimmy awake.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked, as he sat up and peered at his wife through tired eyes.

"Someone from the Bed Stuy precinct is on the phone and wants to talk to you," Kim said, offering the phone to Jimmy. "A paramedic named Danielle Ellen was attacked tonight in her home."

Swearing, Jimmy, rolled back on his side, "I read her file just today," he said, pulling the blanket over his shoulders "She's a single mom to three kids. I wonder why the precinct would call HERE of all places."

As if she had recognized the name from what the precinct had told her, Kim put the receiver to her ear, "This is Mrs. Kim Doherty," she said, rolling her eyes as Jimmy went back to sleep. "Yes, my husband Jimmy will be there soon to pick up her kids. Yes…thank you…..Goodbye."

Putting the phone back on the cradle, Kim grabbed a pillow and hit Jimmy across the face, "You are getting up NOW and you are going to pick up her kids at the precinct," she ordered, as Jimmy's eyes opened and he groaned incoherently. "Don't ask me WHY, just do what I say please, and don't waste time. I would go myself, but I am pretty sure Joey and Camille will need me in a few hours, so you'd better go."

Mumbling swear words, Jimmy groggily got out of bed and, quickly getting dressed in civilian clothes, he left the bedroom. Kim quickly got out of bed and hurried after him, making sure he left the house quickly.

Fortunately, as she reached the middle stair, she saw the front door close. Jimmy had left.

As she went back up the stairs, Kim silently prayed that everything would turn out okay.  
********************************  
"Ah, Captain Doherty, you got here just in time," Sergeant Magnusson, a night duty desk sergeant said, as he rose from the desk. "The two younger ones are getting tired, but the oldest one is having a fight with Boscorelli."

Before Jimmy could ask what the cop meant by a fight, he heard shouting coming from another part of the precinct. A few seconds later, John appeared carrying a sleepy Ellie and leading David by the hand. Not far behind, Bosco was following with a furious look on his face.

Seeing Jimmy, John froze, "Where's Kim at?" he asked, frowning suspiciously at Jimmy.

"I'm Jimmy Doherty, Kim's husband and I'm here to take you and your siblings to stay at our house," Jimmy said, curious as to why the oldest boy asked for Kim, like he seemed to know her.

Giving Bosco a sneer, John nodded and, quickly whispering into David's ear, he quickly descended the small staircase and stood in front of Jimmy. Frustrated, Bosco swore and stormed off down a hallway.

"Well, let's get you and your siblings out of this station, all right?" Jimmy asked, slightly nervous.

With a nod, John continued to hold Ellie and David close as they left the precinct with Jimmy.  
*******************************************************  
"Ah, good, you got the kids okay," Kim said, relieved to see Jimmy bring Danielle's children into their home. "You can go to bed and I'll get John, David, and Ellie settled for the night."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, "How do you know them, Kim?" he asked, gazing from the children to her. "The oldest asked where you were when I showed up at the station."

Even though she DID know them, Kim merely shrugged, "I'm a good judge of character and these kids seem to have good characters," she lied, avoiding his gaze. "Bring your siblings, John, and follow me."

As Kim took the children upstairs to find them places to sleep, Jimmy stared at the floor, deep in thought.  
Why did Kim and these children seem to know each other so well? Were they a part of her past somehow?


	4. All Comes Crashing Down

Hours later, Danielle lay in the recovery room, still unconscious and hooked to IV’s and machines.

After Dr. Fields had quickly stabilized and assessed the situation, Danielle had been quickly sent up for surgery to remove her spleen, repair a broken arm, and set some broken ribs. Although her clothes had been torn, it had been determined that Danielle’s attackers didn’t rape her.

Despite Jimmy and Kim’s trying to ensure that the kids still maintained a sense of normalcy despite their mother being attacked and hospitalized, John had ditched school and, after “borrowing” money from the dresser drawers in Jimmy and Kim’s bedroom, he had taken a taxi to Mercy alone.

Now, after pleading with the desk clerk, three nurses, and Dr. Fields to let him see his mother, John was now sitting in a chair beside the gurney that contained his mother’s broken body. 

Since he had been there since dawn, John figured that Kim and Jimmy had probably discovered him missing and were in the process of looking for him. He didn’t care that he would probably be in trouble for ditching school, as the oldest, John knew that he needed to be there for his mother in her time of great need.

Running a hand through his dark hair, John’s eyes filled with tears. His mother was attacked, left for dead in their home, and even though he was only 16, he knew who did it and he hated them with all of his emotion.

“Oh, Mom,” John whispered, as he lowered his head on to the bedside railing and began to sob. “I swear that your attacker will pay for what he did. Even if I have to take care of him myself, he’ll pay.”

Unknown to John, Kim, who had left Camille with her mother after sending Jimmy to work and both Ellie and David to school, had come to the hospital and was quietly lingering in the doorway, watching him.

Ever since she had discovered John missing, Kim had known where he had gone, as she had known John for many years and, although she hadn’t kept in touch with the family, she knew that he, as the oldest, he would always be concerned about protecting his family, even if there was a risk to his own welfare.

“John,” Kim said in a gentle tone, as she walked into the room and to Danielle’s bedside.

Started, John looked up, “How did you know I was here, Kim?” he asked, his voice tired.

“Well, when I woke up to give Camille her six a.m. feeding, I happened to pass by the living room and since the couch was empty and your shoes were gone, I figured you had come here to see your mom,” Kim replied, as she gently placed a hand on John’s shoulder. “How are you doing?”

Keeping his eyes focused on his mother, John blinked, “I’m tired,” he said, his voice weak. “I’m so scared that one day, we’re gonna be found and killed. Mom’s been protecting us forever, you know? David and Ellie are too young to really understand what‘s gone on, but I know that he won‘t stop hunting us down.”

Kim sighed, “If you don’t want to go to school, do you feel like helping me run errands today?” she suggested. “It’s really not good for you to sit here all day and look like you’re in utter despair. I know what you, David, Ellie, and your mom have gone through, but you need to take care of yourself too.”

Rising from his chair, John nodded and pulling his gaze away from his mother, he looked at Kim. However, before he could reply, a nurse walked into the room.

“Excuse me, John?” the nurse said. “A couple of police detectives are here and they want to talk to you about the attack on your mom. Do you feel like talking to them right now?”

Gritting his teeth, John gave a nod, “I’ll do it, even though it probably won’t do any good,” he replied. “Kim, can you come and sit with me, just in case I find that I can’t handle it?”

Kim nodded and kept her hand on John’s shoulder as they left the room with the nurse

Unfortunately, neither Kim not John had any idea that Danielle’s problems were going to quickly worsen.  
*****************************************  
Detective Faith Yokas lingered at the desk with her boyfriend and partner, Captain John Miller, and they watched as Kim and the nurse escorted John towards them. Faith’s eyes widened as she recognized John.

“Officer Yokas?” John said, as he suddenly recognized the female officer as one he had known as a boy.

Faith nodded, although she was surprised that John actually recognized her after all these years, “Actually, it’s Detective Yokas now,” she replied, concerned by the dark circles she saw under John’s eyes. “My partner, Captain John Miller, and I want to talk to you about the attack on your mother.”

“Look, can we have this discussion in the lounge or somewhere private?” Kim suddenly asked, concerned about how having the discussion in a public place would negatively affect John. 

After exchanging a quick look with Faith, Captain Miller nodded, “I think it would be a very good idea to have this discussion in the lounge,” he said. “If you’ll just follow me and Detective Yokas.”

There was absolute silence as the group ventured into the doctor’s lounge, which, thankfully, was empty.

As John took a seat at the table, Kim quickly opened the fridge, grabbed a large glass from a nearby cupboard, and pouring some apple juice into a glass, she set it in front of John so he wouldn‘t faint.

“All right, first of all, young man, what’s your last name?” Captain Miller asked, as he sat down across from John, who looked pale and withdrawn. “I need it so I can add it to the information on the report.”

Gritting his teeth, John suddenly gave Captain Miller a glare, “Like I’m gonna tell you my last name just so you can put it on a report for the whole world to see,” he replied, his voice shaking with both weakness and anger. “I already know who did this and I doubt the cops are gonna be able to help solve this problem.”

Biting her lip, Faith quickly looked down at her hands, as, from what John was saying, she had quickly figured out who was responsible and sadly, John was right, as they had never been able to help Danielle.

“John, drink some apple juice,” Kim hurriedly said, sensing the tension that was building between John and the obviously frustrated Captain Miller.

John nodded and despite his shaking hands, he managed to pick up the glass and drink some juice.

“Captain Miller, perhaps it would be best if I conducted the interview,” Faith suggested, as she could see that John obviously didn’t like Captain Miller. “Could you go upstairs and sit with John’s mother for a bit?”

Nodding, John blew Faith a kiss and quietly walked out of the room. Kim looked down at John and smiled.

“All right, John, let’s start from the beginning,” Faith calmly said, as she stared at the young man.  
*********************************************  
Upstairs, Danielle had woken and was now sitting up, ignoring the pain and watching the nurse check her IV’s and bandages. While regaining awareness, she had heard John speak to her, but was it just a dream?

Unfortunately, as Danielle knew that John had been protective of her, he probably HAD skipped school that day and had been there. Kim must have come and taken him from the hospital soon after, though.

Although she felt fine, mostly due to the pain medication, Danielle was extremely shaken by the fact that Edward and his current line of “friends” had yet again found them. The house was no longer safe for them.

Danielle allowed her gaze to wander and that was when she noticed the man in the hallway, “Excuse me, nurse, but who is that man out in the hall?” she asked, worried that she wasn’t safe.

Without even looking out the window, the nurse smiled, “Oh, that’s Captain Miller of Major Cases,” she replied. “He came up here to keep an eye on you….to make sure that everything will be all right.”

Without knowing why, Danielle suddenly shuddered. Something wasn’t right, she could feel it….

Almost immediately, she heard a nearby door being forced open and shots immediately were fired.

As the nurse placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving, Danielle watched in horror as bullets suddenly flew down the hall and hit Captain Miller. As the Captain fell, two men came into view.

“No…” Danielle gasped, suddenly recognizing one of the men as her abusive ex-husband. 

The door burst open and Edward stormed into the room, “Get up,” he angrily ordered Danielle, as he fired his gun at the nurse. “If you don’t want anything to happen to the kids, come with me NOW.”

Even though the pain medication was beginning to wear off, Danielle nodded and trembling, she got to her feet and found herself pulled roughly against Edward. She could smell a lot of liquor on his breath.

“That’s a good girl,” Edward hissed, dragging her towards the door. “You’re so obedient…”

As Edward dragged her from the room and down the hall, Danielle caught a glimpse of Captain Miller laying on the floor in a pool of blood, “Edward, you killed a cop!” she hissed anxiously.

“Who cares, honestly?!” Edward snapped, as he pushed open the emergency exit door. “Let’s go…”

Unknown to Edward, however, the nurse in the Recovery room had managed to pull the fire alarm before she lost consciousness. It wasn’t the most ideal way, but it would certainly attract needed attention.  
************************************************************************************  
Down in the doctor’s lounge, a loud buzzing sound could suddenly be heard coming from the hallway.

Suddenly feeling dizzy, John shuddered at the sound of the alarm and put his hands over his ears.

Before Kim could ask him what was wrong, the door burst open, “There was a shooting up on the Recovery floor and Captain Miller was injured,” a nurse said. “A nurse was killed and a patient has been taken…”

Lowering his hands, John’s eyes widened in horror and he suddenly realized that his mother was gone.

“He found us….” John whispered, his voice full of fear as he rose from his chair. “He found us….”

Faith rose from her chair, “Where is Captain Miller now?” she asked, moving towards the door.

“He’s being prepped for surgery,” the nurse replied. “I’ll take you upstairs if you want….”

Tears running down her face, Faith nodded and rushed from the room. Kim looked at John.

“I’ll KILL him…” John screamed his voice raging, as he bolted from the lounge. “I’LL KILL HIM!”

Alarmed at John’s sudden change in demeanor, Kim followed after him. As she reached the foyer, Kim saw John crash into Bosco, who was coming in with LaRusso. However, John didn’t stop running.

“What’s his problem?” Bosco asked, as he glared in the direction John had just run.

Kim scoffed, “Bosco, there was a shooting upstairs on the Recovery floor,” she said, annoyed. 

“Yeah, I KNOW that,” Bosco snapped back. “LaRusso and I are responding…”

Suddenly frowning, as he knew who had been in Recovery, LaRusso looked at Kim, “Kim, did something happen to Danielle?” he asked. “I don’t think Captain Miller was shot for nothing….”

“Danielle was taken,” Kim replied, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. “John’s really upset…The minute he heard that Danielle was taken, he ran out of here in a wild rage….Captain Miller was shot, he‘s upstairs….Faith‘s up there trying to get information about what happened”

Bosco sighed, “That kid’s nothing but trouble, I swear..” he muttered. “LaRusso, go upstairs and talk with Detective Yokas, see if she got any information about what happened….”

LaRusso nodded and giving Bosco a strange look, he quickly turned and walked towards the elevator.

“I need to make a phone call,” Kim murmured, as she turned and quickly went back into the lounge.

Wondering why Kim was acting so strange, Bosco followed her and entered the lounge just in time to see Kim on the phone, “Darnit, no answer,” she cursed. “…I need to get David and Ellie from school…”

“Who were you calling?” Bosco asked, wondering why Kim was suddenly so on edge.

Kim glared at Bosco, “None of your business,” she replied, as she quickly left the room.

Bosco frowned as he watched Kim leave. Why was Kim so on edge today?  
****************************************************************************************  
What seemed like hours later, John, who was extremely dizzy, staggered down King and Arthur.

Since he had gotten up that morning, he had felt like crap, but had hidden it. If Kim or Jimmy knew that he was sick, they would have confined him to bed and not let him visit his recovering mother.

Of course, they hadn’t LET him do that, John knew, he had snuck over to the hospital.

From there, things had slowly gone downhill. He had been subjected to a police interview which had gotten cut short with the news that his mother had been taken from the hospital.

Now, however, the combined stress of feeling unwell and his mother’s sudden disappearance was taking its toll and John was ready to just collapse. Only rage and worry kept his feet moving forward.

Groaning, John looked towards the ground. He felt as if he were going to puke all over the sidewalk.

Unknown to him, Carlos Nieto, a paramedic at the nearby 55 firehouse, had seen him coming and concerned, he had run inside, yelled for help, rushed outside, and hurried over.

“Hey, kid, are you all right?” John heard a voice suddenly say.

Before he realized what had happened, John was on his knees, shaking, “I-I don’t feel good,” he muttered, his voice trembling. “Everything’s spinning.”

“Carlos, what’s wrong?” Holly, who had heard Carlos shouting for help right before he ran off, asked, as she approached and saw John kneeling there. 

As John moaned and closed his eyes to block out the dizziness, Carlos looked at Holly, “Get a backboard and some supplies,” he told her. “This kid needs serious medical attention, love,”  
Even though Holly was happy that Carlos had referred to her as “love”, Holly nodded and rushed back towards the firehouse. Carlos, meanwhile, had gently lowered John to the ground.

John was vaguely aware that something had been slid under him and he was suddenly lifted from the ground, “What----?” he asked groggily. “Where are you taking me?”

“We’re putting you in an ambulance,” Carlos gently explained, as he and Holly placed the backboard on the bed inside of their rig. “Holly, start checking his vitals…”

Swearing, John tried to sit up, “I’m gonna be sick,” he murmured, as he felt Carlos restraining him.

“Just take some deep breaths,” Holly said, as she finished checking his blood pressure, “Carlos, his blood pressure’s really high…..Temp’s 102.….his pulse is abnormal….his breath is really, really awful…”

Knowing that the kid couldn’t be drunk, Carlos quickly smelled John’s breath and frowned, “Holly, test the kid’s blood sugar,” he suddenly said. “I have a hunch as to what’s wrong….

“E-Everything’s blurry,” John moaned as he opened his eyes and found that he couldn’t see anything properly. “Owww…..why are you poking me?”

Holly ignored John’s weak protests and slid the strip into the portable glucose monitor the ambulance had been recently stocked with, “His blood sugar’s in the tank, Carlos,” she said, upset.

Swearing under his breath, Carlos went up to the front and got behind the wheel, “Holly, keep him from crashing and I’ll get us to Mercy,” he said, as he started the engine.

As the ambulance pulled out and sped down the street with the sirens wailing, Holly saw a wallet in John’s pocket and pulled it out. When she opened the wallet, her jaw dropped in shock at the ID card.

“….gonna pass out,” John murmured. “….everything’s going dark….”

Placing the wallet back inside John’s pocket, Holly quickly grabbed IV bags out of one of the compartments and began hooking the lines to John’s arms and hands.

She knew his family, although it was by another name and it had been years since she had known them.

Why, after so many years, had she been suddenly reunited with old friends, Holly wondered?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Holly placed a mask over John’s face and monitored his vitals.

Hopefully, the ride to Mercy would be quick and then maybe, questions could be answered.


	5. Deep Secrets Exposed

With David and Ellie safely in the lounge and occupied with food, Kim entered the curtain area and watched as a nurse again checked John's vitals. John had still not woken up.

It had been hours since John had been brought back to Mercy, on the verge of death. Tests had been run and as the hospital worked to stabilize the boy, Kim had returned with David and Ellie.

After turning John over to medical care, Carlos and Holly had left to return to duty, yet Holly looked like she very much wanted to stay. She seemed to know something that Carlos didn't about John.

However, Carlos had gently convinced her that their duty was out on the street, helping others and very reluctantly, Holly had left with her husband. She silently prayed that John would be all right."

Now, while Kim lingered nearby, John lay on a gurney, dressed in a hospital gown with IV lines all over his hands, arms, and legs. Fluids were being pumped into him to try and stabilize him.

Blood had been taken and John had a catheter in him, just in case he didn't wake for a while.

"His temp's down to 101," the nurse told Kim, as she took a thermometer from his ear. 

Kim nodded; with Danielle missing and John's only other family living in rural New York, she was legally in charge of the kids right now. She took John's cold hand and sighed.

"Doctor Fields should have the results back at any moment," the nurse said, seeing that Kim looked very distressed. "Any word on what happened to the boy's mother?"

Kim shook her head, "Police have been searching for hours, but nothing's been found," she solemnly replied. "I wonder why John didn't tell me that he wasn't feeling good this morning..."

"Probably thought you'd get all motherly on him," a voice said from behind the curtain.

Kim turned and saw Bosco lingering beside the curtain, "What are you doing here, Bosco?" she asked, a confused tone in her voice. "Why aren't you out searching with rest of the cops?"

"My sergeant thought it wise that guards be posted here," Bosco snapped, aggravated that he was stuck at the hospital. "LaRusso's upstairs guarding Detective Yokas and Captain Miller....I guess Miller proposed to Yokas before he was put under for surgery....Yokas insisted on staying..."

Not wanting Kim to know how uncomfortable he felt about the fact that Captain Miller and Faith just got engaged, Bosco looked down at John, "The kid looks like crap," he commented. "Who brought him in to Mercy, anyway? Where did he run off to?"

"According to Carlos, he ended up near where the 55th precinct used to be," Kim said, as she adjusted the blanket that was covering John. "Carlos and Holly still work there, apparently."

Bosco nodded, but before he could say anything, Dr. Fields came over with a chart in his hand.

"I have the test results, Kim," Dr. Fields said, as he opened John's chart. "Along with a mild case of the flu, John has Type 1 diabetes.....his blood sugar's really messed up right now..."

Nodding, Kim squeezed John's cold hand, "His maternal great-grandmother has Type 2 diabetes," she replied. "The stress of his mother missing and that police interview took its toll on him........"

Suddenly, John groaned and opened his eyes, "Where am I?" he asked, confused by the fact that he was laying in what looked like a hospital emergency room. "I feel like absolute crap...."

"You're in the emergency room at Mercy," Kim gently replied. "After you ran away, you ended up collapsing out in the streets....A couple of paramedics from the 55 firehouse brought you in."

Feeling a headache, John closed his eyes, "I feel terrible," he stated. "What's wrong with me?"

"John, you have Type 1 diabetes," Dr. Fields stated. "The reason you feel so terrible is because a mild case of the flu is messing up your blood sugar. We're taking good care of you, though."

Keeping his eyes shut, John weakly nodded, "Has my mom been found yet?" he weakly asked.

"No, the police haven't found her yet," Kim replied, her voice solemn. "We can't give up hope, though, John....We have to trust that everything is going to be okay."

Unknown to Kim, David and Ellie had snuck out of the lounge and were lingering just behind Bosco.

"Kim, I think we have company," Bosco said, suddenly feeling breathing on his hands.

Kim turned and saw that David and Ellie were standing beside Bosco, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, Kim, we just wanted to see if John was okay," David said, worried that Kim would be mad.

Ellie rushed over and put her arms around John, causing him to open his eyes, "I hope you get better soon, John," she said, as she rested her head on his chest. 

Momentarily taken aback, John relaxed, "Thank you, Ellie," he weakly replied, gently stroking his baby sister's hair. "I hope I get better soon, too...."

Knowing that John needed to rest, Kim gently pulled Ellie back, "Your brother needs to rest, Ellie," she said, gently turning the girl to face her. "I'll have Jimmy come and take you and David back to our house.....I want both of you to help him with Joey and Camille...."

Utterly exhausted, John promptly fell back asleep as Kim led David and Ellie off towards the desk.

"I have other patients to check on, Officer Boscorelli," Dr. Fields said. "I'll be back in a bit to get some more of his blood and maybe get him eating something. Can you stay with him until then?"

Even though he could think of about a hundred other things he'd rather be doing than babysitting a diabetic teenage punk, Bosco nodded, "Yeah," he said.

"The nurse should be along in a few minutes to give him some more insulin," Dr. Fields told Bosco brusquely, as he placed the chart on a bedside table and walked off.

Bosco sighed and looked around. He could see Kim in the foyer with David and Ellie, waiting for Jimmy to come and pick the kids up. He knew that Kim would probably spend the night here.

What he didn't understand, however, was why Kim seemed to protect these kids with her life.

"Excuse me, Officer Boscorelli?" a nurse, who had come to give John another dose of insulin, said, as tapped Bosco on the shoulder.

Bosco turned around, surprised to find the nurse there, "Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm going to give John another dose of insulin," the nurse stated, figuring that Bosco had been daydreaming. "You may want to hold him so I don't accidentally draw blood..."

Almost immediately as the nurse prepped the shot, John woke and sat up, "What...is...that?" he gasped, spotting the syringe in the nurse's hand. "Go away.....I don't want any needles....please..."

"I'm afraid needles are going to be a big part of your life from now on, kid," Bosco replied. "I don't know much about diabetes, just that people with it have to poke themselves a lot..."

Feeling anxious, the nurse looked at Bosco, "Hold him against you," she said, as she pushed the blanket back and rolled up John's gown. "It'll be easier if you're talking to him."

Despite the fact that he felt uncomfortable about seeing John get a needle stuck in him, as he loathed even looking at needles, Bosco nodded and gently pulled the trembling John into his chest, "Just breathe, kid," he said, as he felt John shaking. "It won't take too long..."

As the nurse swabbed an area on John's thigh and quickly inserted the needle, Bosco felt John shedding tears all over his shirt. A few moments passed and the nurse pulled the syringe out.

"There, now, all done," the nurse said, as she lowered John's gown. "You can lay back down now if you want....or, I could bring you your supper..."

John released Bosco and looked at the nurse, "I really don't feel like eating anything," he admitted in a tired voice. "I'll just throw it up..."

"Doctor Fields wants to start you eating so he can see what kind of food will be okay for you," the nurse gently replied. "It won't be much to start, as you're also recovering from the flu....."

Muttering swear words under his breath, John reluctantly nodded, "All right, I guess I could try eating a little," he said.

Smiling, as she felt nothing but sympathy for the teen, the nurse walked off to find the food that Dr. Fields had deemed appropriate for that evening. John moaned and sank back down on to the pillow.

"I just want to sleep," John mumbled, as he allowed his eyes to fall shut.

Shaking his head, Bosco peeked through the curtain and he could see through the window that Jimmy had arrived with two little kids and was talking with Kim, as David and Ellie lingered.

A moment later, Kim moved out of the waiting room and came over to the curtained area, "How's John doing?" she asked, her face full of concern. "Why is the curtain drawn?"

"A nurse came and gave John another shot of insulin when you were off talking with Doherty," Bosco replied. "He's trying to sleep a little before they make him eat something..."

Kim sighed and reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a cell-phone, "Bosco, I may have to go on a little trip tonight," she said, as she dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. "Still no answer......"

Wondering who Kim was trying to contact that lived outside of the city, Bosco snatched the cell-phone and pressing redial, he lifted to his ear. He ignored the angry look that Kim was giving him.

"This is John Sullivan, I'm currently away from the phone right now, but leave your name, number, your message, and I will eventually get back to you..." the voice of Sully sounded into the phone.

Shutting the phone, Bosco gave Kim a confused look, "Why do you have Sully's number?" he asked. "The kid's mom is missing, his family's a mess and you're calling Sully?!"

"It's complicated, Bosco," Kim said, as she snatched her phone back. "It's hard to explain."

Bosco scoffed, "Try me," he said, pure annoyance in his voice. 

"Sully is Danielle's father and the grandfather to John, David, and Ellie," Kim revealed, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "Sully told me to call him if there was ever trouble...."

There was silence as Bosco stared at Kim with his mouth open, "Sully never said anything about having kids, let alone grandkids," he snapped, unable to believe such a statement.

"If you wait until morning, when Doherty can come sit with the kid, I'll go with you," Bosco suddenly offered, as he wanted answers from Sully why he never said anything about being a father before.

Kim sighed, but before she could protest, the nurse walked over carrying a small tray that contained a small plate that had small piles of mashed yams, boiled green beans, apple slices, and a strip of boiled chicken. There was a medium glass of milk beside the plate, along with cutlery. Bosco winced and muttered something about "rabbit food" under his breath.

"All right, John, let's get some food in you," the nurse said, as she set the tray on the portable table and moved the curtain back. "The sooner you begin to eat, the sooner you'll feel better..."

Even though he was feeling extremely tired, John opened his eyes, "Please don't make me eat," he said, his voice listless. "I just want to rest, I feel like absolute crap."

Kim sighed, "John, if you won't eat for your health, eat because your mom would want you to," she said, as she took a seat in a plastic chair beside the gurney. "She'll be found alive, I just know it."

For a moment, John was silent and then nodded, "All right, I'll try," he whispered. "Can you help me, though? If I try to eat on my own, I'll end up making a mess...."

Kim nodded, "Yeah, I'll help you," she replied, as she unwrapped the plastic cutlery.

As Kim began to literally feed John, as he couldn't do it on his own because he was feeling too terrible to do anything on his own, Bosco turned away. He couldn't bear to watch this scene.

"I have to go upstairs and check-in with LaRusso," Bosco muttered, as he began to walk away from the curtain area. "Feel better, kid....Kim, I'll see you in the morning...."

Even though he was not looking forward to seeing Faith gush over the recovering Captain Miller, as LaRusso had radioed him hours ago about the success of the surgery, Bosco knew that he had to bury personal feelings and do his job. Even if it hurt him, he had to do his duty as a cop.

Still no word had been heard on the missing Danielle, however, but Bosco wasn't worried. 

Danielle seemed like a tough girl and would be able to fight her way out of whatever was holding her captive. She was Sully's daughter and probably as tough and as secretive as he was.

Scoffing, Bosco stalked off towards the doorway. He had to focus his mind on work.

The outcome of Danielle being found after 48 hours missing was bleak, however, hope had to be clung to persistently. Every day, miracles happened, as Bosco well knew from past experience.

However, as he was on guard duty, any of Sully's business was not his concern at the moment.


	6. Loose Pieces of a Puzzle

Annoyed at the knock on his cabin door so early in the morning, Sully climbed out of his bed and shuffled towards the door. Almost immediately, another knock sounded.

"All right, I'm coming," Sully grunted, annoyed at being woken from a restful slumber.

Letting out a sigh, Sully opened the door and his jaw dropped at seeing both Kim and Bosco standing on the doorstep. Kim looked upset and Bosco looked angry and determined.

"Sully, it's Danielle---," Kim began, her tone mournful, before she was cut off by Bosco.

"Okay, Sully, why did you never tell us that you had a daughter and three grandkids, huh?" Bosco snapped, his frustration with Sully coming out in his tone. "We've known you for years!"

Sully was silent for a moment and opened the door, "Come in and warm up a little," he replied, his tone full of concern. "Kim, tell me what's happened to Danielle."

Bosco and Kim entered the cabin and Bosco closed the door, "Danielle was beaten up and kidnapped when she was recovering in the hospital," Kim explained. "David and Ellie are fine, they're staying with Jimmy and I....but John, he just got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes."

"The kid's in the hospital and he's moody right now," Bosco chimed in, remembering about how emotional John got when he had been given insulin the other day. "He's just like you, Sully."

Sully rolled his eyes and moving into his bedroom, he closed the door so he could get dressed. Kim glared at Bosco, watching as he moved into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"You'd be emotional too if you had to give yourself shots every day for the rest of your life," Kim hissed, disgusted by Bosco taking a jug of milk from the fridge and drinking from it.

Bosco scoffed, but before he could reply, the bedroom door opened and Sully came out dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a checkered jacket, "Is my apartment still in good shape, Kim?" he asked.

Kim nodded, "I make sure that a cleaning person goes in and takes care of it at least once a week," she replied, knowing what Sully was going to do. "I have the key with me."

"I thought you sold your apartment when you retired," Bosco commented as he returned the jug of milk to the fridge and closed the door. "Or do you have lots of secrets under your belt today?"

Sully shook his head, "Just let me pack some things and we can go," he said, turning away.

"Pack and go where?" Bosco asked, but Sully walked off into his bedroom.

Bosco looked at Kim for an explanation, but Kim rolled her eyes and moved over to the couch.  
********************************************************************************************************  
Somewhere off the New Jersey Turnpike, Edward Addison ran a hand through Danielle's hair as he drove. He laughed as Danielle, who was strapped in the front passenger seat, shuddered.

Her body and arm hurt intensely, but for the sake of her life, she had to pretend she was fine.

"Where exactly are we going?" Danielle asked, as they had been driving for hours in almost absolute silence, the only noise made was when she swore at him for caressing her face.

Edward grinned, "That's for me to know and you to find out, sweetheart," he replied in an amused tone. "Don't worry, when we get there, you'll be so out of it that you won't protest."

Repulsed, Danielle remained silent and ignored the pain that was coming from her healing incisions and her arm. She only wore a hospital gown, housecoat, and hospital slippers. Her arm was still in the sling and her bandages were still intact, at least until they were secluded.

Unnerved by the silence, Edward turned the radio on, "...In New York, Bed Stuy paramedic Danielle Sullivan was abducted during a shooting on the Recovery floor at Angel of Mercy Hospital this morning," a voice said. "Captain John Miller was also critically wounded in the shooting, but is expected to recover....Police are on a continued search for Ms. Sullivan and her abductor."

Edward laughed and turned to a music station, "Well, they'll be looking for a long time," he hissed as he turned on to a side road. "I don't plan to let you go ever again..."

Danielle silently prayed that her children would remain safe, for her fate seemed to be in stone.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
The nightmare had been the same as before: he was a young boy and was running for his life through Central Park at night. He was being chased by a large man with a loaded gun. 

"I've got you now, you little brat," a deep voice hissed into his ear, grabbing the young boy by the collar and thrusting him to the grass. "You know better than to disobey me, Johnny boy."

Sounds of a whining monitor filled his ears, "John, wake up!" an anxious voice was saying.

"NO, PLEASE, DON'T TOUCH ME!" John screamed, his eyes still closed as he felt hands grabbing him. "Please, I promise I won't do it again..."

Without warning, something cold was placed across his forehead, "John, can you hear me?" John heard a familiar voice ask in a tone of deep concern. "John, I need you to wake up"

John's eyes suddenly popped open and, lurching upright, he puked all over his blanket and groaned, "I don't feel good," he moaned, closing his eyes again to preserve energy.

A wet cloth was rubbed around his mouth, "His gown looks clean, but better change it just to be safe," another voice said. "I don't want bacteria making his condition any worse than it already is."

Cold air hit John's body as he felt his blanket and gown being removed and immediately replaced with fresh ones. He realized that he would have to force himself to wake up again.

Mustering what little strength he had, John opened his eyes again and saw the nurse and Dr. Fields hovering over him with concerned looks on their faces, "How are you feeling?" Dr. Fields asked, concern in his voice. "The nurse tells me you had some trouble during the night...."

I had trouble during the night? John thought, a worried look crossing his face.

"Doctor Fields, if you and the nurse wouldn't mind, I can bring John up to speed on what happened last night," Jimmy said as he walked into view and saw the look of pure confusion and worry on John's pale face. "Kim won't be here for another hour at least, so I'll hang around."

Dr. Fields nodded and left with the nurse, "What happened last night?" John asked groggily.

"Kim told me that you were sleeping last night and all of a sudden you started thrashing around in your bed," Jimmy explained. "You ended up having an accident."

John's eyes widened, but he remained silent, so Jimmy continued, "Kim said that you were so tired that you slept through them cleaning you and the bed up...Since you're not strong enough to move around too much yet, they put a catheter in you to prevent future accidents."

John sighed, "A pee bag," he muttered in a blank voice, remembering what his mother had told him about catheters and other medical supplies. "I feel like absolute crap..."

Before Jimmy could reply, the nurse returned, "John, I've been talking with Doctor Fields and he wants you moved to a private room so that you'll have an easier time sleeping," she said, growing concerned as the confused look on John's face turned to one of fear. "Are you okay?"

"I'm tired," John replied, hiding the fear in his voice. "Was...was my blood sugar checked?"

The nurse nodded, "I checked it for you an hour ago and it's okay," she replied, giving him a compassionate smile. "If you want to go back to sleep for a little while, that's fine. You'll probably be in a room on the Pediatrics floor when you wake back up...all right?"

Letting out a tired sigh, John closed his eyes once more and slowly relaxed into a deep slumber.

"Doctor Fields should be back shortly to help move John upstairs," the nurse explained, gazing at Jimmy. "If you want to take a break for a few minutes, I need to check his vital signs and check his blood sugar again...He's a little pale, so he might need some insulin."

Knowing that Kim would kill him if he left John's side, Jimmy shook his head, "I'm just going to hang out here and go with him when he's moved," he replied in a gentle, yet firm voice.

"Please, it's better if you wait outside," the nurse snapped. "It'll only take a few minutes."

Trying to remain calm, Jimmy nodded and moved out of the curtain to let the nurse work.  
*********************************************************************************************************  
As Kim's car hit another red light, just mere minutes from Mercy, Bosco slapped the dashboard, immediately wincing in pain at his bruised hand. In the backseat, Sully rolled his eyes.

Because of some rather creative driving by Kim, it hadn't taken long for them to get back to the city and into the same area that the hospital was in. During the drive, Bosco had ranted about how John's attitude was that of a spoiled child and he needed to be turned over somebody's knee.

Sully had merely ignored Bosco's rant. He understood his eldest grandson's over-protective attitude towards his family, but that was nobody's business.

"I'm late for work because of jinxed stop lights," Bosco snapped, glaring at Kim. 

Kim scoffed, "I thought you and LaRusso were on hospital duty because of the shooting," she commented, a smirk on her face as the light turned green and she drove on.

"Don't even start that crap, Kim," Bosco huffed. "You think I want to waste my day hanging around the hospital with LaRusso and play bodyguard for that mouthy kid, Yokas, and Miller?"

At the mention of his oldest grandson, Sully sighed, "I haven't seen my daughter or grandkids in six years and this isn't the way I wanted a reunion to happen," he said, relieved as he saw Kim pull into a parking lot that was across the street from the hospital. "Where are David and Ellie today?"

"Jimmy took them and Joey to school and dropped Camille off at my mom's," Kim said as she manuevered the car into a parking spot. "He's keeping John company."

Bosco scoffed, "That kid is nuts, he needs a warden not a babysitter," he snapped.

Kim ignored him and, after undoing her seatbelt, she got out of the car and slammed the door. 

Sully quickly got out of the car with a small suitcase in his hand and a large jacket over his shirt and jeans. He was unsurprised that Bosco quickly got out after him and slammed the door.

"Anyway, as much fun as tagging along was, I have to go check in with LaRusso," Bosco said in a sarcastic tone before walking off across the street. "Thanks for the ride."

Kim looked at Sully, "If you want, Sully, I can go with you to see him," she offered. "I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind looking after Camille for a little longer..."

Sully sighed, "I appreciate it, Kim, thank you," he replied, relieved about having company.

Kim nodded and, locking her car, she walked with Sully across the street to the hospital.  
**********************************************************************************************************  
Moving into the ER, Faith stopped and for a moment, she watched as Bosco entered the ER and moved over to the waiting room where LaRusso was waiting for him. She turned away and suddenly spotted Jimmy walking into the ER from where the elevators were located.

"I heard that John had been admitted to the ER yesterday," Faith commented as Jimmy spotted her and walked over. "LaRusso told me and mentioned something about him being really sick."

Jimmy nodded, "He's got Type 1 diabetes and a bit of a flu," he explained with a sigh. "I heard through the rumor mill that you were engaged to Captain Miller, so why aren't you upstairs with him and holding his hand and being supportive?"

Faith shrugged, "I got kicked out of his room a by a nurse and told to take a break," she said in a tired voice. "Anyway, why aren't you upstairs with John?"

"He's being settled into a room on the Peds floor and they wouldn't let me go with him," Jimmy replied, irritation in his voice. "Kim told me not to leave him alone, she's gonna be miffed."

Before Faith could reply, Jimmy's eyes went wide as he saw Kim and Sully walk into the ER and ignore Bosco and LaRusso in the waiting room, "What's Sully doing here?" he asked.

Faith sighed, but remained silent as Sully and Kim walked over to them, "Before you say anything, Kim, they wouldn't let me help move John upstairs," Jimmy said, seeing the look of annoyance on Kim's face. "Where did you go this morning and why is Sully here out of the blue?"

"Jimmy, I swear, you ask as many questions as Bosco sometimes," Kim replied, wanting to keep Sully's connection to John a secret for as long as possible. "We should go upstairs, Sully."

Jimmy looked irritated, "Why would SULLY of all people need to go upstairs and see a kid who he doesn't even know?" he snapped in a raised voice, giving Kim an annoyed look.

Having heard a raised voice, Bosco and LaRusso came out of the waiting area, "Doherty, quit causing a ruckus in the ER," Bosco snapped. "Let Sully and Kim go up to Peds already."

"I want to know WHY Sully is even here," Jimmy said in an aggravated tone. "He's been gone for a long time and all of a sudden Kim shows up at Mercy with him...what is UP with that?"

Knowing that Jimmy wouldn't shut up without an explanation, Sully sighed, "Danielle is my daughter," he explained in a patient voice. "John, David, and Ellie are my grandkids."

Jimmy's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open, "All right, Doherty, you got an answer," Bosco snapped, fighting the urge to hit him. "Now quit bothering them."

"Or what, Bosco?" Jimmy asked, his voice and temper rising. "You'll arrest me?"

While Jimmy and Bosco continued to argue, Kim and Sully walked off to the elevators.  
************************************************************************************************************  
The sound of a tray being set down brought John back into awareness and he opened his eyes to see a nurse moving a portable table over to his bed, "It's about lunchtime," the nurse said, giving John a smile. "You slept the entire time the gurney was being moved."

Blinking tiredly, John nodded and weakly lifted his hand, only to find a tiny bandage over the tip of his index finger, "How's my blood sugar?" he asked in a groggy voice. "Do I need any insulin?"

"Your blood sugar was low, so an ER nurse gave you some about 25 minutes ago, right before you were moved up here," the nurse explained. "In about five minutes, you can eat your lunch."

John nodded and stared silently at the IV in his right hand, noticing the blue sleeve covering his arm for the first time, "Why am I wearing a coat over my gown?" he asked, gazing at the nurse.

"I thought it would help you feel better to be dressed a little warmer," the nurse replied. "Your new doctor should be in sometime this afternoon to talk to you about managing your diabetes."

Suddenly, there was a knock and the door was opened. Figuring it was another nurse, John turned his head and his eyes widened at the sight of Kim standing there with Sully.

"Grandpa Sullivan?" John asked, wondering if he was hallucinating. "Am I seeing things?"

Kim and Sully exchanged a look and walked into the room, "Kim came out to my cabin this morning and told me what was going on," Sully explained as he walked over to John's bedside and gazed down at his eldest grandson. "I figured I'd come back to the city."

"You need to spend time with David and Ellie, I'll be in the hospital for a while I think," John replied, letting out a sigh. "With my mom not here..."

Fighting back tears, John went quiet and looked away from his grandfather and Kim, "My mom's probably going through horror right now and that jerk is responsible for it," he whispered, a quiver in his voice. "I'm laying here in this bed useless and I can't protect anyone worth crap..."

"Kim and I talked on the walk up here," Sully explained in a gentle tone as he moved around the bed so that he could look John in the eyes. "David and Ellie are gonna keep staying with Kim and Jimmy for the next little while so I can stay here with you as much as possible."

John looked unconvinced, "Why would you do that for me?" he asked, his voice full of tiredness. "I'm supposed to protect my mom, David, and Ellie, and I failed...I can't even go to school right now for my education so that I can help my family...I am a useless piece of crap."

"Well, John, believe it or not, there are people who care about you, including me," Sully replied in a gentle, yet firm tone as he noticed the plate of food on the portable tray. "Tell you, what, let's take things one step at a time...Do you need me to feed you lunch, or can you feed yourself?"

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, as he knew that if he tried to feed himself at this point, he'd make a big mess, John looked at the nurse, "I think John could use a hand, Officer Sullivan." the nurse said. "If I may ask, how do you know John?"

"First of all, call me Sully," Sully replied, a smile on his face. "Secondly, I'm John's grandfather."

Even though she wanted to know why Officer Sullivan had never mentioned this before, the nurse merely nodded and smiled at John, "Enjoy your lunch," she said, moving over to where Kim was standing. "If you need anything, Sully, I just have to get John some milk to go with his lunch."

"Kim, you may want to go downstairs and make sure that Jimmy and Bosco didn't beat the crap out of each other," Sully commented as he picked up the plastic fork and loaded it with food.

John's eyes widened, "Jimmy and Officer Boscorelli are having a brawl in the ER?" he asked.

"Never you mind, just open your mouth so I can get some food into you," Sully stated, holding the food-loaded fork out towards John's mouth. "Even if you're sick, you have to eat every last bit of this stuff so your blood sugar doesn't go haywire."

As Sully worked at feeding John, Kim turned away and left the room so that the two could spend time together, as they hadn't seen each other in a little over six years. In walking to the elevator, she only hoped that Jimmy and Bosco hadn't started a brawl in front of LaRusso and the ER.  
************************************************************************************************************  
In the heart of Manhattan, David slung John's backpack over his shoulder while firmly gripping the handle of his much smaller one. He gazed around at the desolate site of Ground Zero and sighed.

Even though he was only nine and should be sitting innocently in school right now, he was much too worried and angry at the world to focus. All he wanted to do was visit his brother.

Last night Jimmy had come back to the house and told him that Kim would be staying at the hospital with John. Ellie had asked if they could visit John, but Jimmy had said 'not now.'

That reply had put David in a funk for the rest of the evening and into the morning. He had been dropped off at school by Jimmy that morning, but had not stayed there. Ellie had been taken to school too and was still there, completely unaware of what was going on

Instead, David had faked sick and took off on foot to the nearest subway station. Not knowing the stops very well, he had gotten off near Ground Zero and was now trying to find his way to Mercy.

John was his big brother, his hero, and David wanted to prove that he was as tough as his hero. 

Little did David know, however, that he was being watched and carefully approached.

Ty Davis, who had been on patrol rounds with Brendan and had noticed David, whose presence he considered out of the ordinary for the time of day, was silently approaching the young boy.

"Hey, kid, are you all right?" Ty asked, gently tapping David's shoulder.

Startled, David turned and found himself face-to-face with a uniformed cop, "Look, officer, I wasn't doing anything wrong," David said, his voice quaking with fear. "Don't arrest me."

"Well, first of all you ARE doing something wrong," Ty replied in a calm voice. "You don't look old enough to be anywhere but school and it looks to me like you're skipping out...My name's Lieutenant Davis and I was just doing daily patrol for Anti-Crime and I was wondering what you were doing here, all by yourself...you look kind of young to be on your own here."

David shrugged, "I have more important things to do today," he replied tonelessly.

Ty raised an eyebrow, "What do you have to do that's more important than school?" he asked, concerned by the dark look in the kid's eyes. "Why do you look so angry?"

"My mom was kidnapped and my big brother's a patient at Mercy," David replied, deciding that being honest was best. "I cut school to go visit him, but I got lost."

Ty frowned, "Does anyone know where you are?" he asked, looking David directly in the eye.

"Jimmy and Kim think I'm at school," David replied. "I don't know anyone else around here."

Raising an eyebrow, Ty gave the boy a look, "Jimmy and Kim as in Jimmy and Kim Doherty?" he asked, wondering how on earth this kid knew Jimmy or Kim. "Are you related to them?"

"Can you just stop asking me questions and let me go see my brother?!" David asked in a semi-raised voice filled with anxiety. "I haven't done anything illegal, so leave me alone please."

Shaking his head, Ty put a hand on David's shoulder, "Why don't you come with me and my partner and I can help you?" he suggested. "My partner's name is Sergeant Finney and as long as you're nice to both of us, we'll be nice to you. Just come with us quietly, all right?"

Worried that he was going to end up arrested for skipping school, David swallowed hard and reluctantly allowed Lieutenant Davis to lead him over to where another cop waited by a cop car.

I am so in trouble and I didn't DO anything....I am going to jail for skipping school. David thought anxiously.


	7. Heavy Burdens of the Innocent

The squad car rolled to a stop at a red light and David unlocked the door, "Thanks very much for your help, officers, but I don't need it," he said in a tough tone as he opened the door.

Brendan swore, "Hey, wait!" he shouted, anxious as David took off across the street with the backpacks and into the mass of people travelling up and down the sidewalk. "Ty----"

Ty sighed, "We'll call it in to the station," he replied tonelessly. "Not much more we can do."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Brendan asked, worry in his tone. "What if he's in trouble?"

Giving Brendan a glare, Ty responded by looking up at the light and pressing on the gas when it turned green, "Unless the kid actually commits a crime, we can't hold him," he stated, his tone gentle. "Just call it in and we'll keep an eye out for him in the meantime."

Even though he wanted to do more, Brendan nodded and reached for his radio as Ty drove.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Placing a hand on his bruised jaw, Jimmy looked up at Kim while out of the corner of his eye, he saw LaRusso leading Bosco, who was sporting a cut under his eye, over to the admit desk.

The fight had lasted about half an hour and since then, Faith had gone up to the cafeteria to relax before going to pick Emily up at school. She was disgusted by the fighting.

"I can't believe Bosco hit me in the jaw," Jimmy muttered as Kim forced his hand away to have a look at the bruising. "All I said was that he's got a bad temper..."

Kim examined the bruising, "Well, your temper is just as bad," she replied. "You're fine."

Jimmy sighed and gazed up at a clock that was in the corner of a wall, "I have another couple of hours before I need to go and pick up David, Ellie, and Joey from school," he said, breaking into a mischevious grin. "Since Sully's looking after John, do you wanna have some quality time?"

Kim scoffed, "As much fun as that sounds, I should probably go pick up Camille from my mom's," she replied, a grin on her face. "I can't expect my mom to look after her all day."

Nodding, Jimmy looked at Kim thoughtfully, "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, taking her hands in his own. "We can maybe take Camille out to the park and get some ice cream."

Giggling, Kim stood up and leaned into Jimmy, "As long as we make it quick," she replied. 

As Kim and Jimmy left the ER, a nurse walked over to Bosco to look at the cut under his eye.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Gazing around to make sure that no nurses were nearby, David slipped down the hallway of the Pediatrics floor and quickly found the door to his brother's hospital room.

David silently entered the room only and walked over to the bed, only to find that John was asleep.

"John, wake up," David hissed, gently poking his brother's arm. "I need to talk to you."

John opened his eyes and immediately gave David a look, "You're supposed to be in school," he said, his tired voice full of combined concern and irritation.

"John, I'm gonna ask about that hit," David said, his voice full of anxiety. "I wasn't gonna do it, but with Mom gone and possibly dead...I know you wanted to do it, but you're sick right now."

A concerned look suddenly crossed John's face, "David, you're nine years old," he said, his voice full of anxious concern as he sat up in bed. "You don't know how---"

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing," David replied, cutting him off. "I'm a lot smarter than anyone thinks...Your friends know how to find that guy who took Mom."

John's eyes widened, "You had better knock off that talk NOW," he hissed. "You're already gonna be in enough trouble when Grandpa Sullivan comes back and finds you here instead of at school."

"Ooh, Grandpa Sullivan, huh?" David sneered. "It's been six years and Mom's been keeping us under lock and key all the time and now we're free .....Where is Grandpa, anyway?"

Letting out a tired sigh, John gave his brother a glare, "He went to the cafeteria to get a coffee," he replied, suddenly noticing his backpack in David's hand. "Where'd you get my backpack?"

"After Jimmy dumped me at school this morning, I ran home and the door was unlocked," David replied with a shrug. "I figured you could use some school stuff...I also visited Tommy and he said to get better soon so you guys can hang out together."

David placed John's backpack on the bed, "I was coming to see you when I got busted by some cops named Lieutenant Davis and Sergeant Finney," he snapped. "I'm happy they didn't search my bag...I did kinda run off when their car stopped at a red light, though."

"Oh, David," John said with a sigh in his voice. "Sit down for a sec."

David sat down on the bed, "Don't turn into me," John said, his voice a whisper. "I made a lot of mistakes...I'm still making a lot of mistakes...I feel like I'm falling...."

John was silent as he reflected about his problems and David sat there, quietly watching him.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Confused as to why they had been called back to the precinct shortly after they had called in the information about the young boy, Ty and Brendan entered the 5-3 Precinct.

"Davis, Finney, I ran a description on that kid you called in about and I didn't find any info," the desk sergeant said. "However, patrol did bring a guy in just a few minutes ago for loitering who told us about a young visitor he had....he gave a description and it sounds like the same kid."

Ty sighed, "Where is the guy now?" he asked. "Could we talk to him?"

"He's in a holding cell to cool off," the sergeant replied. "The guy's name is Tommy Lauren and he says that he's part of a gang that serves as protection for some of the poorer people in Bed Stuy."

Brendan flinched, "Bed Stuy?" he asked. "Isn't that where Boscorelli was assigned?"

"Do you think Officer Boscorelli might know about this gang?" Ty asked, giving the desk sergeant a worried look. "We used to work with Boscorelli at the 55...."

The desk sergeant shrugged, "I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to go and ask Boscorelli about it," he replied in a non-committal tone. "The gang was only formed in July, but they're growing."

There was silence for a moment as the desk sergeant did some typing, "Ever since that paramedic from Bed Stuy got snatched from the hospital and Captain Miller got shot, Boscorelli and LaRusso have been on guard duty at Mercy," he explained. 

"Did Tommy tell anyone who any of the gang members are?" Brendan asked, not really wanting to go and bother Bosco for information, asked. "Maybe if we find one of the other members...."

"Yeah, he said that one of his best friends is named JT Sullivan," the desk sergeant stated.

Ty frowned, "Sullivan?" he asked, wondering if the kid in question was related to Sully. "Does the guy know where we can find this JT Sullivan?"

"Tommy said that JT's little brother, David, came by to see him this morning when he should have been in school," the sergeant replied. "Apparently, JT's been a patient at Mercy since yesterday.."

Brendan sighed, "We should go talk to JT," he said, gazing at Ty. 

Ty nodded and together, he and Brendan left the precinct, hoping that they could solve this.  
************************************************************************************************************  
Kim sighed and, shifting Camille to her other arm and on to her shoulder, she knocked on the door to the vice-principal's office, "Come in," a female voice said.

She opened the door and entered the office, seeing that Vice-Principal Davis was already sitting at her desk, "Ah, Mrs. Doherty," Maggie said, smiling as Kim sat down and put Camille on her lap.

"I'm sorry that David skipped school today," Kim stated. "When Jimmy dropped him off this morning, he said that David went inside...Then, while Jimmy and I were walking in the park with Camille, the secretary calls to tell me that David needs a note to explain his absence...My mom picked Joey up already and will look after him until suppertime."

Maggie nodded, although there was concern in her eyes, "Ever since school began, David has been becoming overly aggressive with fellow students about leaving his family alone," she explained in a concerned tone. "I remember that John was the same way at David's age."

"Well, I don't necessarily blame John for being that way after what happened," Kim replied in a soft tone. "I know that Danielle really appreciates that you were such a help back then with the situation..."

Unsure of whether or not her friend was alive or dead, Kim went quiet, "Has there been any word on whether or not Danielle's been located yet?" Maggie asked, her expression solemn.

"Nothing so far," Kim stated, a solemn sigh in her voice. "To make things worse, John ended up with diabetes and the flu...he's in the hospital right now and Sully's keeping him company."

Maggie's eyes went wide, "Who called Sully?" she asked, intrigued.

"Bosco and I went to Sully's cabin yesterday morning," Kim replied. "When I told Sully about Danielle, he packed some stuff and came back to take care of his grandkids."

Just then, Jimmy walked in with Ellie, who had a small backpack on her back, "Where's David?" she asked, gazing at Kim and Maggie with wide eyes. "How come he's not here?"

Before Kim or Maggie could figure out how to explain to Ellie that David had not stayed at school after being dropped off that morning, Kim's cell-phone vibrated. She took it out of her pocket.

"Hello?" Kim said as she opened the phone and lifted to her ear. "Oh, Sully, hi....he's at the hospital visiting John? Okay....yeah, Jimmy and I can bring Ellie over for a small visit. We can pick David up and take him back to our place too so that John can rest...Okay, see you in a bit."

Kim closed the phone and returned it to her pocket, "That was Sully calling from the hospital," she explained in a relieved tone. "David went to the hospital to visit his brother and give him his schoolbag....he's okay."

"Well, I'll let the unexcused absence go for today, but I expect to see David at school tomorrow," Maggie stated, full of relief that David was all right. "I'll also get in touch with the high school and arrange it so I can collect John's homework...If John is still in the hospital on Saturday, I'll drop by his hospital room and see if there's anything I can do to help him catch up."

Ellie tugged at Jimmy's arm, "Mr. Jimmy, can we go now?" she asked, gazing up at him.

Jimmy chuckled, "I guess we can," he replied, amused. "Ready to go, Kim?"

Smiling, Kim shifted Camille to her shoulder and rose from the chair, "Thanks for being so understanding about David," she told Maggie. "I'll make sure he comes to school tomorrow."

Maggie nodded and smiled as Jimmy, Kim, Ellie, and Camille left her office. 

Once she was alone, however, Maggie said a silent prayer that Danielle would be all right, as when Danielle was younger, she was strong. Hopefully, that part of her hadn't faded with time.  
*******************************************************************************************************  
A knock at the door caused John to wake up and immediately look over at David, who had fallen asleep on the couch. Their grandfather had popped his head in, lectured David about skipping school and then had gone to see about getting John something other than water to drink.

John's "lifeline bag" was underneath the bed and so far, his blood sugar was fine, he just felt crummy because of the flu that didn't seem to want to go away.

"Hey, anybody home?" a deep accented voice sounded out from the doorway.

John turned his head and looked surprised to see another one of his friends, who was known as Smartie, lingering in the doorway with a black t-shirt, jeans, and ragged sneakers on. 

Smartie walked into the room, "David told Tommy that you have diabetes and the flu," he commented, walking over to the bed. "Man, that sucks....we had plans for Friday night."

John's eyes widened, "There's something for us to do?" he asked, his voice tired.

"Yeah, we got a lead on your old man's location," Smartie replied. "We were gonna hook up with the rest of the boys to see if it was legit and make plans to deal with him..."

John scoffed, "Right, like a pack of teenagers could deal with him," he replied scornfully. "You know what he's capable of doing to kids...I've learned that lesson enough."

Smartie was quiet, "Anyway, Smartie, you had better get out of here before my Grandpa Sullivan comes back," John replied tiredly. "I feel like crap...I'm gonna go back to sleep."

"Alrighty, we'll put the job off until you're feeling better," Smartie stated. "I'll let the boys know just to keep an eye on him....It wouldn't be right to beat your old man up without you there..."

Anger crept into John's heart, "I hate him so much," John whispered. "I can't help it."

"He will suffer for what he's put your family through," Smartie promised. "I promise you that."

Tears welled up in John's eyes, "I hope my mom's still alive," he whispered. "Or I'll kill him myself."

Smartie nodded and giving a wave, he left the room. John turned his head away from the door.

A few moments later, Sully walked into the room with a pitcher of sugar-free juice and a large cup in his hands, "Hey, John, do you think you can wake up for a few minutes?" he asked.

Quickly wiping the tears from his face, John faked a yawn and turned his head back towards the door, "Hey, Grandpa Sullivan," he said, making his voice sound tired. "What's up?"

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" Sully asked as he walked over to the bed and set the pitcher and glass on the portable table next to a box of straws, "I brought you some juice to drink..."

John sighed, "I don't feel like any juice, but I will have some," he replied, knowing that it was better to just drink some fluids so he could go back to sleep. "My body could probably use it."

Sully nodded and poured a glass of juice, "Do you want me to hold the glass for you?" he asked, picking the glass up with one hand. "You're probably feeling groggy right now from sleeping."

"Yeah, some help would be nice," John replied, his eyes travelling back over to where David lay on the couch with the backpacks next to him. "I'm just tired of being too sick to do anything."

Placing a straw in the glass, Sully held the glass out in front of John's mouth, "You'll feel better from the flu soon enough and you'll learn to manage your diabetes," he stated gently, seeing that John was gazing over at David. "Don't worry about your brother, Kim and Jimmy are coming by to take him back to their place along with Ellie....You don't need to worry about anything right now."

Even though he knew that he had everything in the world to worry about, John remained quiet and slowly sipped the juice. He had to be strong for the fight that he would soon have to endure alone.  
*********************************************************************************************************  
Down in the ER, Bosco and LaRusso paced the desk, ignoring the looks they were getting from the staff. Faith had gone to pick up Emily from school and spend some time with her.

Captain Miller was resting comfortably in his room and had insisted that Faith take a break, emphasizing that he loved Faith very much just for caring about him so much.

There had been no word on Danielle thus far, despite constant searching. Bosco was getting frustrated that he was stuck on guard duty instead of being allowed to do 'real work' and he ranted to LaRusso about it while they paced. Fortunately, LaRusso was patient enough to listen. 

"...I can't believe Doherty gave Wray paid vacation time for the next week because of what happened with his partner," Bosco ranted. "Can't they just put him with someone else?"

LaRusso sighed and kept his mouth shut: he personally thought that Bosco talked too much smack about things he didn't understand, yet he wanted to keep the peace between them.

Fortunately, before LaRusso had to comment, Ty and Brendan walked into the ER, "Davis, what are you doing here?" he asked, a frown on his face. "Is there someone you need to talk to?"

Ty and Brendan exchanged a look, "We came to talk to a kid named JT Sullivan," Ty explained, growing concerned at the sudden look of shock on Bosco's face. "One of his buddies, Tommy Lauren, got busted for loitering downtown...he mentioned that JT was his best friend and that some kid named David Sullivan came to visit him earlier instead of being in school."

Just as Kim and Jimmy walked into the ER with Ellie and Camille in to, Bosco suddenly looked very angry, "I don't know where you got that information from, but it's not true," he snapped. "None of it is true and there is NO WAY either of you will be allowed past this desk right now."

"Bosco--" Brendan began, his voice full of concern.

Jimmy and Kim watched as Bosco got right in Brendan's face, "Finney, you HEARD me," Bosco snapped. "You and Davis had better get out of here and don't come back unless you have proof."

"You WORK in Bed-Stuy, Bosco, and that is where JT's gang is from," Brendan snapped. "There's a record of it in our precinct computer...We HAVE to talk to JT, we need answers."

Bosco swore, "GET OUT!" he snapped, his temper getting the better of him. "UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY HAVE PROOF, GET OUT BEFORE I DO SOMETHING I REGRET!"

Exchanging a look, Ty and Brendan quietly left. However, this matter was far from dropped.

Kim looked at Bosco for an explanation, but before she could ask what happened, she saw David running into the ER with a small backpack over his shoulder. 

"Grandpa Sully made me come downstairs to wait," David whined. "He told me to behave myself."

Bosco remained silent, as he didn't want to start a fight. He merely watched David very carefully.

"I'm sorry I skipped school," David stated in a quiet voice. "Am I being punished?"

Kim nodded, "Early bedtime tonight," she replied, a smile on her lips. "If you want to visit John or your grandpa, you need to tell Jimmy or I and we can bring you to visit, okay? It's dangerous for a nine year old to be running around the streets...you could get hurt or killed."

"That's the same thing Grandpa Sullivan said," David stated. "I'm hungry, can we go now?"

Thinking that David had gotten the message, Jimmy nodded, "Yeah, we can go," he replied, smiling. "We''ll get through tonight all right, I think....Maybe on the weekend, we can go by your house and pick up some stuff for you, Ellie, and John...does that sound good?"

David nodded and took hold of Ellie's hand, "Let's goooo," he whined.

Chuckling, Jimmy ushered David and Ellie towards the door, "We have to stop by my mom's first to pick up Joey and then we can grab something for dinner," Kim stated as she followed after them with Camille on her shoulder. "Bye Bosco, LaRusso, have a good night."

As the group left, LaRusso looked at Bosco, "It won't take them long to find evidence if they talk to the right people," he stated in a concerned tone. "You should warn John to lie low for a while."

"I think John will lay low for a while since he's sick," Bosco replied, crossing his arms. "David and Ellie will be fine...Danielle will be found alive and wanting to fight...Everything will be fine."

LaRusso nodded, but, like Bosco, he wondered if everything would really turn out okay.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Within the confines of a cabin hidden in the New Jersey countryside, a bedroom door opened and Danielle strode out, now dressed in a pair of oversized sweats and a button-up shirt with her injured arm in the slightly dirty sling. Her feet were still covered in the hospital slippers and her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, per Edward's request, as he wanted to see her face.

Edward sat at a table near a fireplace, watching as the hospital gown burned to nothing but unidentifiable evidence. He had taken great pleasure in tearing it off of his ex-wife.

Hearing footsteps, Edward turned and looked gleeful at the sight of Danielle in his clothes, "All right, my sweet, why don't you sit on the couch and I'll get us some dinner?" he said, rising from his wooden chair. "You need to have strength and rest so that we can play later on..."

Resisting the urge to vomit, as she would be slapped for that, Danielle obediently sat on the couch and remained silent. Figuring that his captive was being submissive, Edward moved into the kitchen with a grin on his face: it didn't take much to break his beautiful ex-wife.

Little did Edward know, however, that Danielle was slowly formulating a plan of escape that would not be executed until she was stronger and could fight her way out if necessary.

Only the thought of seeing her kids again kept Danielle from trying to commit suicide right on the spot. Until she was able to carry out her plan, she was going to force herself into submission.

Danielle knew that if Edward got exactly what he wanted, he would treat her decently...for now.


	8. Demons Rising in the Shadows

Two Weeks Later

The routine had been the same every day: Danielle had been forced to share a bed with the man who she hated with all of her heart on a nightly basis. He would wake them at six and would then forcibly scrub her clean, surprisingly taking great care not to damage the cast on her arm or the bandage that covered her recent internal surgery. After the bath, he would roughly dress her in an old pair of his grungy sweats and oversized shirts. She was also forced to wear his socks

Once the whole morning routine was complete, Edward would tie her to a wooden chair and leave the cabin, forcing her to be alone with traumatizing thoughts of hopelessness. Sometimes, he wouldn't come back for hours and even if he did, Danielle would sometimes not be given food.

When he was around, however, Edward would spend most his time drinking heavy liquor from the liquor cabinet that he kept in the cabin kitchen. In his drunken state, he would berate Danielle with heavy curse words and insults about her or the kids. On occasion, he would hit her face.

There was a vehicle at the cabin, but Edward had hidden the keys in his pants, knowing that Danielle hated him so much that she would rather die than get into his pants. Little did he know, however, that his ex-wife would soon get the better of him.

Not much would be done or said in the afternoon, as Edward spent the time passed out drunk and Danielle remained tied up in the chair, thinking about her kids: they were her motivation to endure.

In the evenings, Edward would forcibly feed her leftovers from the morning and then would declare it to be bedtime: there would seldom be intercourse, he would just stroke her hair and make futile threats. To preserve her life, Danielle had continually remained silent .

That morning, the routine had gone the same way as before. The afternoon, however, was different and everything following it would soon trigger an irreversible snowball effect.

While Edward was out, Danielle had managed to free herself from the chair with her good arm and had slipped into the bathroom. After retrieving a box of sleeping pills from the medicine cabinet that she was sure Edward was going to use on her at some point, Danielle had gotten into his liquor cabinet and put several of the pills into one of the full bottles.

Not wanting him to figure out what she was up to, Danielle had prepared a "romantic" dinner for the two of them: she had put the leftovers on plates, warmed them, and had set the table. She had placed a bottle both at her place and Edward's, but her bottle was cleaned out and filled with water. She had then spent time convincing herself to come on to him in a romantic way.

Shortly after her preparations were completed, Edward returned and Danielle had immediately laid into the act: she passionately kissed him and held him in a liplock for several minutes.

"Well, this is certainly a change in attitude," Edward cooed, placing her arms around her. "Have you finally figured out that I plan to keep you with me for the rest of your sorry life?"

Danielle replied by kissing him again, "Sit down, have a drink, and I'll give you a nice little back rub," she cooed in a seductive voice. "I'll even use both hands and do a deep tissue massage."

Guffawing, Edward ripped his jacket off and sat at the table, "Make it real nice, baby, and I might let you have some dessert later," he said in an amused tone as he took a swig from his bottle.

As Edward turned his attention to guzzling from the bottle, Danielle began to apply pressure to his bare shoulders and back. While she worked, she could feel her ex slowly going limp from the pills.

"Maybe after this drink. we'll spend some time together," Edward slurred as he keeled forward on to the table while in mid-drink. "Just gimme a few more minutes..."

Within seconds, Edward had managed to finish the whole bottle and had fallen to the floor.

After ensuring that Edward had not stopped breathing, Danielle had unzipped his pants pocket and retrieved the keys to his vehicle. She rezipped his pants and borrowed his boots.

Ignoring all bodily pain, Danielle grabbed his hunting jacket off the floor and slipped out the door to freedom. It was cold, but having the jacket over her shoulders helped a little.

It didn't take long for her to get into the vehicle and start it up. Driving with one arm would be difficult, but she would manage. For the sake of her own life, she had to manage it.

Praying that she would make it home, Danielle put the vehicle in 'Drive' and sped away.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Across the city, Brendan entered a file room in the new 55th precinct, grateful that there weren't many around and those who were around hadn't really noticed his face, only his cop uniform.

Even though the old 55th precinct had been devastated by the attack, some of the files had survived and had been brought to the new location for preservation. 

Ty was off with another partner, as that morning, Brendan had called in 'sick' to do research.

Ever since they had met David Sullivan, Brendan's mind had been on JT Sullivan and how involved that kid was with the gang in Bed-Stuy. He had tried to get Ty to help him investigate into John's past and see if he was a problem kid, but Ty had refused to get involved.

Despite Ty's warning about not digging up problems, Brendan was determined to know.

It didn't take long to locate the cabinet where the old 55 files were: from there, it was relatively easy to find a file labelled "Sullivan". Brendan pulled it out of the drawer and opened it.

A type-written letter was clipped to a stack of what looked like records and newspaper articles. 

Sully,

I regret that I didn't see what was happening between John and his father until it was nearly too late to save the boy. My only hope is that Cruz and Yokas are able to help Danielle get her children out of New York for a while and soon. It might be good for them to be away from the city.

To make up for my ignorance, I had Lieutenant Addison fired from both his job at the school and at the 75th Precinct and I arrested him personally. He is currently awaiting trial in Riker's, but I hear his lawyer and friends are trying to set him free. Unfortunately, he'll probably be let off on a technicality because of the system, but I am in the process of flagging him as a child abuser.

Many are still angry about it, I hear...I have a feeling that you're not much happier about the way things happened, but amount it to human stupidity. My ignorance could have caused a death.

Please forgive me for my ignorance. I will take this regret with me to the grave and beyond.

Sincerely,

Cathal Finney

His eyes wide with shock, Brendan closed the folder and slipped it into his jacket. He really needed to talk to someone about this, that letter and what it implied couldn't possibly be real.

Yes, his father had secrets that had gone to the grave with him, but one concerning JT and Sully couldn't possibly be one of them. Why would his own father be ignorant to such things?

Suddenly remembering that JT Sullivan was at Mercy, Brendan decided that he had better go over there and maybe see if anyone knew anything about the letter or the contents of the file.

Deeply disturbed, Brendan sighed and keeping the folder hidden, he moved out of the file room.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Letting out a tired sigh, John remained quiet as a nurse, who was a very kind, middle-aged female in pink scrubs, checked his vitals. The pitcher of water, filled to the top with sugar-free juice, and a small cup with a straw in it sat on the portable table next to a fully stocked injection kit.

There was a medical bracelet secured around his wrist that outlined his condition in detail. He was more comfortable now that he was in jeans and socks with the hospital gown only covering his upper body, as he didn't like his legs exposed. There was also a blanket on top of him.

Although, there was only a nurse there, so he was fine.

The foley was still in and safely hidden in the leg of his jeans and his shoes were under the hospital bed. His school pack was on the couch at the other end of the room, near the bathroom. 

Because he had been so sick, nobody would let him out of bed for nearly a week. Finally, on the eighth day, he had convinced his grandpa and a nurse to let him have a shower.

Since then, as long as he took it slow, John had been allowed a shower every morning after breakfast with assistance, but at the doctor's recommendation, the foley had stayed in and would stay until otherwise said. The doctor had it that way for more as a precautionary measure.

John had then done bits of schoolwork until lunchtime and usually, the afternoon was reserved for a brief nap and visits from David and Ellie. They usually stayed until after dinner and then John would usually rest some more, which meant that the nurses would usually check his blood sugar for him and wake him if he needed to eat or drink something.

To his credit, David had not skipped school, nor had he visited with any of John's friends, as their grandpa was watching both him and Ellie like a hawk. Hence, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Maggie Davis had stopped by on the first Saturday and given him a big amount of homework that she had collected for him from the high school. She had visited with him for a few hours afterward.

The high school was being rather generous about the situation and had sent word to John via Maggie that he should just do as much as he could for now and finish when he returned to school.

As John began to feel slightly better, he had convinced his grandpa to spend less time with him and some time looking after David and Ellie at their home in Bed-Stuy. Sully had reluctantly thanked Kim and Jimmy for their help and had taken David and Ellie back to the house. 

While the two were in school, Sully spent time cleaning the house and visiting John in the hospital, despite the kid's protests that he was fine and didn't need babysitting. He would help John through whatever homework he could handle and take away the books if he started getting tired.

That morning, Sully had been there early with David and Ellie. He had left within an hour to take David and Ellie to school, promising that he would be back after running a few errands. Lunchtime had come and gone, yet his grandfather was still away, but John was fine with some alone time.

Once his grandfather was gone, John tried to do a little math homework and even though he quickly tired, he kept working. Unfortunately, his doctor and a nurse had come to check on him and had seen John struggling. Per Sully's orders, the books had been returned to the schoolbag and a quick blood sugar test had been administered by the doctor, but his sugar was stable.

Exhaustion from forcing himself to stay awake all night was slowly wearing John down and the doctor could see tiredness in her young patient's eyes, "Why don't you try and sleep a little?" she suggested, giving him a reassuring smile. "Your body still needs a lot of rest right now."

John nodded obediently, "Yeah, I guess I could use a nap," he replied in a soft tone. 

The doctor looked down and saw the pulse-ox clip on the bed, "This should be on your finger, kiddo," she said, smiling as she gently placed it back on John's index finger.

"My finger gets itchy sometimes," John replied, relieved that she wasn't mad at him.

"Well, maybe if you're still doing good later on, you can take it off and go for a short walk with a nurse or your grandfather," the doctor replied, exchanging an amused look with the nurse. "For now, just sleep and the nurse will be here in case you wake up and need anything."

Suddenly, there were footsteps and the doctor went silent, "Can I help you, officer?" she asked, suddenly spotting Brendan standing in the hallway, dressed in a police uniform and jacket.

Wondering why a police officer was there, John turned his head just as the doctor moved out into the hallway and started talking to Brendan quietly. As Brendan pulled a file from his jacket and showed it to the doctor, John suddenly frowned: he recognized the file and immediately felt sick.

Oh, Mom, I wish you were here. John thought, his heart racing as he suddenly felt intense pressue in his chest. Without you here, nobody can protect me from the past. Nobody.

"I don't feel good," John weakly mumbled as he began to tremble. "Please....somebody help."

Noticing that John was going into an unexpected state of shock, the doctor glared at Brendan, "Sergeant Finney, stay here," she ordered, moving into the room. "We'll have words later."

Letting out a scream as if he were being violently beaten, John threw up and promptly passed out.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
In the New Jersey countryside, Fred Yokas parked his truck, turned the engine off and quickly stepped out into the cold air. As the sun began to set, he pulled a bag of groceries out and shut the door. Locking the truck, he walked over to the door and gave a loud knock.

Nearly a week ago, Edward had phoned and begged Fred to bring some groceries out to the cabin, as he and his lady were low on supplies. Even though he knew that Danielle probably wasn't there willingly, Fred had agreed to come out with supplies as soon as possible.

With long hours at work and having to support Charlie and Caroline, however, Fred had found it impossible to get away. He was sure that Edward was getting impatient with his slowness.

Fortunately, after making excuses about a sick relative, Fred had bought groceries and come to visit his old friend. Maybe if he was lucky, Edward would give him some quality time with Danielle.

Even though Danielle had publicly lied about her age and was secretive about her past, Fred knew that Edward had always had eyes for her. Even back when she was his innocent student.

Not hearing anything, Fred knocked again and suddenly, the door swung open.

"Eddie?" Fred asked, moving into the cabin and frowning at the sight of blood and ropes on the floor next to two overturned chairs, a tipped table and broken dishes.

There was silence for a moment and then Edward stormed into the room with an infuriated look on his face, "That piece of trash put sleeping pills in my booze, stole my keys, and took off in my vehicle!" he roared, anger in his voice. "I know she's going right back to Bed-Stuy....the tramp."

"Man, Eddie, is there anything I can do to help?" Fred asked, even though he knew that anything Edward would ask of him would probably be illegal and dangerous. "I'm here for you, buddy."

Edward stalked back into the back room and quickly returned with a photo in his hand, "It was because of my oldest spawn and that tramp that I lost my cushy jobs and ended up with a record," he snapped, showing the picture, which turned out to be a picture of them years ago, to Fred. "The only reason I avoided prison was because of jury technicalities...remember?"

Fred nodded, "I remember," he replied. "Do you want a ride somewhere?"

"I want to clean up the cabin first and then I'll need your help to disappear for a while," Edward replied, his voice cool. "Let the tramp and spawn think they're safe while I think of a new plan."

Edward began to put the chairs upright. While Fred lifted the table, he let out a weary sigh.

For years, Edward and him had been friends despite the age difference. 

Even though he would probably end up in jail, Fred knew that he had to be there for his friend, even in the bad times. Who else did Edward have but a friend who would be loyal to him?

Danielle would soon pay, the spawn would soon pay, and everything else would fall into chaos.


	9. Poison Breaks Free in the Night

Feeling weak and shaky, John opened his eyes and saw that he was flat on his back and the front of his gown was pulled lower. He could feel something small on his chest and a mask over his face, sending oxygen into his mouth and nose. With a shaking hand, he touched the mask.

There were footsteps and John suddenly saw his grandpa hovering over him, "Just relax and keep the mask on," Sully told him in a gentle tone. "The nurse will be back in a minute."

John pushed the mask off his face, "I was laying in bed and I saw this cop come down the hallway and start talking to the doctor," he said in a tired voice. "He had my file in his hand..."

Sully turned pale, "That's impossible," he replied. "It's supposed to be heavily classified."

"I don't know how he got it, but I knew it was mine," John replied softly. "I thought it was destroyed...I wonder if he read it...I panicked...There's too much bad stuff in there."

Just then, the nurse came into the room carrying a tray with a small bowl of soup with a spoon in it and a medium-sized glass of a fizzy drink that had a straw in it, "Are you feeling up to trying a little soup and gingerale, kiddo?" she asked, smiling as she put the tray on the portable table and moved it over to the bed. "You can either try eating yourself or ask for help from your grandpa."

"Wait, Grandpa Sullivan, if you're here, who's looking after David and Ellie?" John asked, suddenly becoming aware that this was normally the time of day that David and Ellie would visit the hospital. "They need looking after a lot more than I do."

As the nurse raised the bed, Sully gave John a look, "I called Detective Yokas," he explained in a gentle tone. "She and Emily are going to come and take David and Ellie with them tonight...They're being kept occupied at the nurse's station until then."

John sighed, "I probably need some insulin before I eat," he said. "Where's my kit at?"

"It's okay, the nurse has been checking your blood sugar and gave you a shot about half an hour ago," Sully replied. "It's a little late, but if you feel like eating, now's a good opportunity to."

The thought of food made John's stomach churn, "I don't think I can," he said, his voice quivering with fear and sadness. "I know I need to eat, but I can't....having to relive that stuff in my head.."

"Yes, you can eat, you just need a little help with it," Sully replied. "I'll help you if you let me."

Taking a deep breath, John gave a nod, "I'll try," he said, his voice a whisper. "I really will."

The nurse walked over to the other side of the room and picking up a chair, she brought it over to the bedside, "Just buzz for me when you're done, okay?" she said, smiling at John. 

"Okay," John replied, his voice full of tiredness. "Thank you."

Nodding, the nurse left the room. John looked at the food and then at his grandfather.

His grandfather loved him so much, but maybe he wouldn't after he knew the whole truth.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
"Just what did you think you were doing up near John's room, Finney?!" Bosco yelled, not caring that a few nurses at the admit desk were giving him looks. "You don't just go upstairs and start asking questions about a kid you know nothing about!"

Deeply embarrassed that he had been caught leaving the Peds floor by Bosco, who was coming to check on the kid while LaRusso was on a coffee break only to find that John had gone into shock and passed out, Brendan silently turned away from the enraged look on Bosco's face. 

Shortly after, Sully had arrived with David and Ellie for a visit just in time to see the nurse bringing a heart monitor into the room and closing the door partway. Bosco had told him of Brendan's visit. 

Infuriated, Sully had ordered Bosco to take him downstairs and deal with him, as he needed to stay upstairs. Since he figured he probably shouldn't go into the room until the doctor said it was okay, Sully had explained to David and Ellie that John was too tired for a visit that evening and that he was going to call someone to come and get them for the night. 

David had immediately recognized Brendan, but hadn't said anything, as then his grandpa would know that he skipped school occasionally. Brendan had given the boy a studious glare, indicating that they would talk another time when Sully or Bosco wasn't around to protect him.

Since he didn't want to keep asking Kim and Jimmy for help, Sully had instead gotten a hold of Faith and asked if she and Emily would look after David and Ellie tonight. Faith had quickly talked it over with Emily and had agreed. While they came, David and Ellie were at the nurses station and had asked Bosco if John was okay and Bosco promised the kids that he was.

After Bosco had dragged him downstairs, Brendan had waited alone while Bsoco had gone off to find LaRusso and tell him off Brendan's interference. Now, while Bosco yelled at Brendan for unauthorized police activity, LaRusso was off contacting Ty to tell him what had happened. No doubt that Ty would be mad about being interrupted on a date with Sasha with such news.

"Darn it, Finney, you LOOK at me when I am talking to you!" Bosco shouted, placing a hand on Brendan's shoulder and forcing him back. "You had better explain yourself."

Brendan remained silent and moved away, keeping the file hidden under his jacket. He had put it away when the doctor had gone to tend to the kid. Bosco looked heavenward and swore quietly.

"I have half a mind to arrest you," Bosco snapped. "You are really a thorn in my side right now."

Shaking his head, Brendan moved towards the exit door, "Whatever," he snapped. "I'm not going to stay around here and wait for Davis...I have more important things to do tonight."

Bosco grabbed Brendan's arm, "You're not going anywhere," he snapped.

Without warning, Brendan reeled back and punched Bosco in the face, sending him to the floor.

"Just back off," Brendan hissed, his tone full of anger. "I am LEAVING."

Not caring if Bosco was hurt, Brendan patted the file under his jacket and stormed out of the ER.

As Bosco got to his feet, Faith and Emily came into the ER, "Bosco, you're nose is bleeding," Faith said, her voice full of concern. "What happened?"

"Finney punched me in the face," Bosco replied in a grouchy tone. "What are you doing here?"

Faith blanched, "Sully's gonna stay with John tonight and he asked if we could look after David and Ellie," she explained. "Why was Finney even here? He's supposed to be off tonight."

"I don't know," Bosco replied, moving over to the desk and grabbing a tissue from a box. "He got all moody and patted his jacket right before he left....like he was hiding something in it."

Faith shook her head in disbelief just as LaRusso returned, "I just saw Finney take off in his squad car," he said. "I did phone Davis and he and Sasha are gonna go looking for him...Why did Finney leave?"

"Look, I'll talk with Davis on the phone myself," Bosco said, exasperation in his voice. "You and Emily should go up and get David and Ellie....it's getting late and they have school tomorrow."

Faith nodded, "I'm hoping to go and shop for wedding stuff tomorrow while Emily's in school," she said, a smile crossing her lips. "Miller and I talked and we're thinking about a Christmas wedding or maybe wait until Valentine's Day...It depends on how his recovery goes, though."

Even though he hated the fact that Faith was marrying a scum like Miller, just like Danielle had long-ago married her scummy ex, Bosco nodded politely and sighed, "Have a good night," he said, faking a yawn. "I think I'll go get some coffee...LaRusso, tell me when Davis gets here."

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Bosco stalked off to the lounge. Faith looked at LaRusso.

"Nice seeing you again Yokas," LaRusso said, smiling. "Have a good night."

Faith smiled and silently led Emily off towards the elevators. It was going to be a long night.  
************************************************************************************************************  
Blocks away, Brendan turned the engine off and opened the file on his lap. He pushed the cover away, only to find what looked like an old, very poorly written letter from a Lieutenant Addison.

To all my buddies in New York and especially at the 75th precinct:

Well, I'm officially off the force because one little brat had to go and tell a bunch of lies.

I never touched that kid, John is only saying that because he's a messed up little snot who needs some serious medication. His mother believed him, of course, and demanded a divorce.

Something is definitely wrong with that kid and it's only going to get worse as he gets older unless he's put on some strong medication. He is a liar and gets whatever he wants.

I'm so hurt by his accusations and what the whole process has done to me. CT Finney arrested and fired me because of what had been said. Where's the evidence of all this, I ask?

Because of this, I'll never be the same again. John's lies have ruined my life forever.

If there's evidence, it's not mine....At least they won't be able to prove it.

Edward Addison

Letting out a deep sigh, Brendan pushed the letter away and looked at the next file. There were other files, probably containing medical evidence, but who knows if they were actually accurate.

Not only was John a gangster, he was a pathological liar. Did he even have a reason to be in the hospital or was he just trying to protect himself? He needed to talk to this Lieutenant Addison.

A long distance phone number was listed as belonging to Edward Addison, maybe it was him.

Taking his cell-phone from his jacket pocket, Brendan dialled the number and lifted the phone to his ear. Maybe the information in the file would make more sense once he and Edward talked.

Little did Brendan know, however, that Edward Addison was a force that was truly uncontrollable.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Exhaustion crippling her body and mind, Danielle got out of Edward's vehicle and slowly began walking down the darkened street. She was cold, tired, and just wanted to sleep.

Driving when she was tired was a bad idea, she would do better on her feet than behind the wheel, as accidents could happen if she fell asleep behind the wheel. 

It had been a long, lonely drive from the cabin in the New Jersey countryside, but it had gone fast.

Driving with one arm was easier than originally thought and now she was back in New York.

From what the clock radio said, it was close to midnight. Her ID was still at the hospital most likely.

Even though she hated Edward for what she had to endure before and during their marriage, Danielle hoped that she hadn't given him too many sleeping pills. She didn't want him to die.

Overwhelmed with emotion about the last two weeks, Danielle wandered over to an unoccupied stoop and sat down. Tears rolled down her face as she tried not to focus on the pain in her arm.

The last two weeks had been horrible: Edward had gotten his pleasure out of seeing her suffer.

Letting out a sigh, Danielle painstakingly rose from the stoop and continued down the sidewalk.

If she stopped to rest or cry, the chances were higher that Edward would find her yet again.

Her plan was to go somewhere where there was a phone and use it to call for help. 

For her children, if only for her beautful children, she had to keep travelling towards freedom.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Watching as Emily finally wandered into her bedroom to turn in for the night, Faith sighed and did the few dishes that had been used to feed David and Ellie a late supper. With all that had gone on with John, Sully hadn't had an opportunity to see to it. Fortunately, they didn't mind eating late.

After dinner was done, Emily had convinced John and Ellie to go to bed in the spare bedroom that was in the apartment. She had set up a couple of sleeping bags and told them they could camp out that evening. For the next few hours, she had told stories and sang to them until they tired.

Now that David and Ellie were asleep and Emily had gone to bed, Faith knew it wouldn't be long before she became tired and turned in for the night. She sighed, grateful for the day off tomorrow.

Despite all that had happened in the last few hours, Faith had gotten a call from Sully just a few minutes ago and he had told her that everything was fine: JT had managed to eat all of the soup and drink all of the gingerale. He was now sleeping peacefully, hopefully for the whole night.

Rubbing the diamond ring that sat on her ring finger, Faith smiled and drained the sink.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Faith frowned, who would come over at this hour?

Making sure that the chain was up, Faith opened the door and saw that Grace Finney was standing in the hallway with a worried look on her face and a cell-phone in her hand.

"Detective Yokas, I was wondering if I could come in?" Grace asked, her voice trembling.

Faith unlocked the chain and opened the door, "Grace, what's wrong?" she asked, watching as Grace entered the apartment trembling.

"Brendan phoned me and said that he was off working on some sort of major case and I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it," Grace said as Faith closed the door. "He said that he had a file of information on some kid that was at Mercy...I'm worried."

There was silence as Faith slowly began putting the pieces together: Brendan had gone to the hospital and obviously tried to get information on John, but for what reason? 

"Let's phone Davis and see if he's seen him," Faith said in a reassuring voice."

Grace nodded and allowed Faith to lead her over to the wall phone. Hopefully, Brendan was okay.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
In a dark alley, Brendan parked his car and getting out, he wandered over to where a figure waited in the shadows, "It's Sergeant Finney, show yourself," he said firmly, tucking the folder under his arm and keeping one hand on the holster of his gun.

Fred stepped into the streetlight, "You took your time getting here," he snapped.

"Are you Edward Addison?" Brendan asked. "I saw a letter you wrote in JT Sullivan's file,"

Shaking his head, Fred sighed, "My name is Fred Yokas," he replied. "The letter in JT's file was written by his father...JT told a bunch of lies that got his father fired from the 75th precinct..."

"From what I've found out, JT is part of a gang in Bed-Stuy," Brendan explained. "Is there a reason why he would tell lies and get his father fired from police work?"

"JT's always been a messed up kid," Fred lied. "I've known him for a long time and he's always been worried that if he's not perfect, someone will be out to get him. He tried so hard to please his father, but could never measure up...it drove him nuts and he told some lies about his dad."

Unaware that Fred was lying, Brendan nodded, "I found JT's brother downtown the other day, he had skipped school," he stated. "He said that he had visited a friend of JT's named Tommy."

"David's always looked up to his brother, even though JT is headed down a bad path," Fred stated, hoping that this cop wouldn't see through his lies. "The kid is a crazy lunatic."

Brendan frowned, "Is there any concrete evidence that could help me get JT some court-ordered professional help?" he asked, wanting to help if he could. "There was a letter in the file that my father wrote...it said that there were things happening between JT and his dad?"

"JT was a kid back then, so he could have been making things up to get attention," Fred replied in a non-committal tone. "Kids see and hear things that aren't necessarily true...Anyway, I gotta go."

Before Brendan could reply, Fred walked off into the night in absolute silence.

Gazing down at the file, Brendan swallowed hard and pulled his cell-phone from his pocket.

Tucking the file under his arm, he dialed a number. He really needed to talk to Ty right now.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Deep within the bowels of Bed-Stuy, Smartie walked past a row of apartment buildings that were completely dark. The day had been long and boring, all he wanted was to go home to rest.

Surprisingly, he had gone to school that day, but not to class. Instead, he and Tommy had hung out in the courtyard and talked about visiting John in the hospital when he was feeling better.

The whole plan to find and beat up Edward Addison had been called off indefinitely, as nobody had really wanted to do anything without John present. For now, the gang was in dormancy.

After school had ended, Smartie and Tommy had played basketball in the park for hours, all the while talking about how they should maybe straighten up and ask Boscorelli or LaRusso for custodial jobs at the precinct. JT had told them that gang life was no way to live.

Once the sun had gone down, the two had gone their separate ways: Tommy was going to go uptown for dinner with friends and Smartie walked home, as it gave him time to think.

Maybe JT was right and the gang should just dissolve, they were just kids, not gangsters.

The group had formed just as a friendship and the police had automatically called it a gang.

Perhaps in the morning, he would go to school and then to the precinct to ask for part-time work.

As he passed an alley, his ears picked up on the sound of a machine gun being cocked.

Almost instantly, several shots were fired. Covered in blood, Smartie collapsed to the ground.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
In Manhattan, Tommy smiled and watched as his cousin, Kylie Nieto West came into the restaurant accompanied by her proud parents. He had waited for them with their grandparents.

"Hey Kylie," Tommy said, grinning as his aunt, uncle, and Kylie took a seat at the big table that was reserved for their family dinner. "Hey, Auntie and Uncle West, how are you?"

Kylie grinned and showed her toothy smile, "I lost a tooth today, Tommy," she said eagerly.

Tommy grinned at the adopted cousin whom he considered like a little sister, "That's cool, Kylie, don't forget to put it under your pillow," he replied. "That way you can get a quarter for it."

Kylie nodded and looked at her mom, "Mommy, when can we eat?" she asked. "I'm hungry."

Amused at Kylie's short attention span, Tommy took a sip of his ice water. His last name was Lauren, but his parents had officially abandoned him a year ago ago and his aunt and uncle had taken him in, inviting him to be officially adopted but leaving that choice entirely up to him. 

As an only child, he had wanted to carry on the Lauren name, despite his crap parents, and agreed to have the Wests be his legal guardians. Life with them was pretty good.

Despite not wanting to be legally adopted by somebody else, Tommy knew that his presence was a great relief for his aunt and uncle, who had lost Kylie's sister a year ago to a hit and run. 

Mrs. West smiled at Kylie, but before she could reply, the front door of the restaurant banged open and a masked gunman entered the restaurant with a machine gun in hand.

Without warning, the man began to fire shots all over the restaurant. Screams of terror broke out.

As the firing continued, Tommy grabbed Kylie and dove under the table. While the screams continued and things shattered, Tommy suddenly felt pain and warmth on his chest.

"Tommy, you've got red stuff on you," Kylie whispered, gazing up at the red stain on her cousin's shirt. "Are you gonna die?"

The firing suddenly stopped and Tommy turned very pale, "Kylie, you have to go find a phone and call 9-1-1 right now, okay?" he whispered, sinking to the floor. "Tell them what happened and that there are a lot of hurt people...I know you're scared, but you've gotta be brave right now, okay?"

A door slammed, meaning that the guman had fled and escaped the scene. There was silence

Not wanting Tommy to die, Kylie crawled out from under the table and ran to find a phone.

Sinking to the floor, Tommy placed a hand over his chest and silently prayed that he wouldn't die.

There was one reason for this random attack: the shooter wanted to cause destruction and horror.

However, it would take a lot of time, pain, and stress before the truth was discovered...


	10. Revelations, Reunions, Remembering.

Brendan silently sat on an unoccupied stoop, staring at the sidewalk as Ty sat in the squad car with the door open as he held JT's file. Tears were pooling in his eyes, but he kept them in.

As predicted, Ty wasn't happy to be interrupted, but had come. Sasha had been understanding and had said that they could catch up tomorrow. Ty had then walked to where Brendan was.

"I can't believe you stole this and nobody noticed," Ty said, gazing at Brendan. "What made you take this from the file room at the new 55th precinct? I thought you were off duty."

Biting his lip, Brendan looked up at Ty, "You know that kid we picked up near Ground Zero yesterday afternoon?" he asked. "The one named David Sullivan?"

Ty nodded, "I did some digging and that file belongs to JT Sullivan, David's brother," Brendan explained in a soft voice. "There's a letter written by my father in there to Sully."

Frowning, Ty opened the file and immediately seeing the letter, he skimmed it.

"Woah," Ty said, gazing back up at Brendan with wide eyes. "Why would Sully hide this?"

Brendan shrugged, "I don't know," he replied. "I called a phone number that was listed on one of the other papers in there and I guess Edward Addison gave his phone to a friend. I ended up meeting with a guy named Fred Yokas not far from here."

Ty raised an eyebrow, "Fred Yokas?" he asked. "That's Faith's ex husband...."

Suddenly, Ty was cut off by a voice, "5-3, we have shots fired at the Ramon restaurant...All units responding to the scene....multiple injuries and fatalities...55 EMS are on the scene."

Rising from the stoop, Brendan sighed, "We gotta go, Ty," he said, moving to the car. "Let's keep this information and the file between us, all right?"

Closing the file, Ty placed it on the dashboard and swung his legs inside. They had to go.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
"....Oh, man, Holly, I know this kid," 

"...What?"

Hearing voices, Tommy opened his eyes and saw that Carlos was hovering over him, "Hey Carlos, what's up?" he whispered. "Is Kylie okay?"

Carlos froze, "Kylie?" he asked, terrified that his biological daughter was hurt. "Where is she?"

Suddenly, a loud wailing sound could be heard. Carlos turned just in time to see Holly running over to a little girl who was crying and had a scared look on her face. She appeared unhurt.

"I think it was JT's old man," Tommy whispered as Carlos pressed something over his bleeding chest. "That guy's a lunatic stalker.....kidnapped JT's mom from her hospital bed...."

Holly brought Kylie over to where Carlos was helping Tommy, "I called for help, Tommy, just like you said," Kylie said, looking scared at the blood on Tommy's chest.

"You did good, Kylie," Tommy whispered. "You go with the nice lady paramedic now, okay?"

Kylie looked at Carlos, "I wanna stay with my daddy," she whimpered.

Her eyes widening, Holly realized that Kylie was referring to Carlos, "I couldn't take care of her," Carlos said as he began prepping Tommy for transport. "I gave her to a family who could."

Before Holly could reply, Ty and Brendan arrived. "More paramedics are arriving," Ty said, gazing down at Tommy. "Hey, we picked this kid up for loitering the other day..."

"I was just having dinner with my family, man," Tommy whispered. "JT's old man came in here with a mask on and started shooting.....He's been hanging that family for months..."

Carlos sighed, "We really gotta get the kid to the hospital," he said. "He's bleeding pretty bad."

"Officer Davis, you gotta call Officer Bosco," Tommy whispered as Holly and Carlos slid a backboard underneath him and secured it. "Tell him to keep an eye on JT..."

Kylie grabbed to Tommy's hand, "I wanna come," she whimpered. "Can I come?"

"Yeah, you can come," Carlos said, before Holly could say no. "Tommy could use company."

Ty and Brendan watched as Carlos and Holly carried Tommy out of the restaurant with Kylie following, clinging to Tommy's hand like there was no tomorrow.

Horrified that stealing the file would lead to such a tragedy, Brendan watched silently as Ty moved off to brief the arriving paramedics on the situation. It was good that Grace was off tonight.  
************************************************************************************************************  
In the safety of Faith's apartment, Grace silently sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea, thinking about what Brendan was doing and why he didn't tell anyone where he was.

It was nearly three in the morning, but neither Faith nor Grace wanted to talk or sleep.

Faith was moving around the apartment, straightening things up and trying to tire herself out.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Holly remained where she was and silent.

Wondering who on earth could be at the door so early in the morning, Faith moved over to the door and opened it. A woman in a large jacket, sweats, and an oversized t-shirt was standing there shivering and gazing at the floor with her blonde hair all over the place and boots.

"Can I help you?" Faith asked, wondering if this was just some homeless person.

There was silence and then the woman raised her head, "Faith?" Danielle asked, pushing a lock of loose hair out of her face. "Faith, it's Danielle Sullivan....do you remember me?"

Her eyes wide, Faith gently pulled Danielle into the apartment and closed the door, "How'd you get away from him this time?" she asked. "You've been missing for two weeks..."

"Let's not talk about that now," Danielle replied in a tired voice as she moved over to the couch and sat down. "I just want to get some rest...Can I sleep on your couch tonight?"

Faith nodded, "David and Ellie should be up in a few hours, I hope they don't wake you," she replied, moving over to the linen closet. "I'll get you a blanket and a pillow."

Danielle's eyes widened, "David and Ellie are here?" she asked, wincing as she rose from the couch. "Where's John at?"

Faith was silent for a moment, "Danni, after you were taken, John got almost manic and ran away," she replied. "He fainted near the 55 firehouse and was taken to Mercy hospital...I went by there the other day with Emily...He's got the flu and Type 1 diabetes..."

Tears came to Danielle's eyes and she placed a hand over her mouth, "Oh man," she whispered in a frightened tone. "Faith, I know it's late....I need to see my David and Ellie right now."

Faith nodded and gestured to the spare bedroom where David and Ellie were sleeping, "They're in there," she replied, knowing that Danielle needed to see her kids for reassurance. "Do you want to go to the hospital and get checked out after that?"

"Yeah," Danielle replied as she moved off towards the spare bedroom. 

Faith watched as the light was flipped on. She could hear Danielle talking to David and Ellie. 

Even though she was at the table, Grace could hear two small voices replying and the woman telling the two kids that she missed them, loved them, and was so happy to see them okay.

"Shouldn't she go to the hospital in an ambulance after missing for two weeks?" Grace, who didn't know or understand why there was a strange woman here. "She looks pretty banged up."

Before Faith could reply, the light went off and Danielle came out of the bedroom, "They went back to sleep and I promised them that we'd spend some time together tomorrow," she said, her voice trembling. "The kids were the only thing keeping me from just giving up..."

"C'mon, I'll drive you to the hospital," Faith said in a reassuring voice. "I can wake Emily and ask her to take care of David and Ellie...She can get them off to school later on."

Danielle looked at Grace, "Who are you?" she asked, suspicious of this strange woman.

"I'm Grace Finney, I'm a paramedic over at the 55," Grace replied in a warm tone, as she shoped that this woman would trust her. "I can stay here and keep an eye on things for you."

Danielle nodded, "Danielle Sullivan," she replied. "I would appreciate that, thank you."

"Are you related to the Sully who used to work at the 55 precinct by chance?" Grace asked, wondering if Sullivan was a common name or there was something more to Danielle.

As Faith opened the door, Danielle allowed herself a small smile, "Actually, yes, I do know a retired cop by the name of Sully," she replied. "Sully's my father."

Shocked at this revelation, Grace was silent as Faith and Danielle left the quiet apartment.  
************************************************************************************************************  
Hanging up his cell-phone, LaRusso looked at Bosco, who was lingering near the pop machine for a late night sugar rush, "Hey, the night shift called and said that some kid was shot to death in Bed-Stuy," he said in a solemn tone. "They think it was Smartie...one of JT's friends."

Bosco frowned and shrugged, "Probably out where he shouldn't have been," he replied in a distressed tone. "In the last month, we've busted him and John for curfew five times."

"Yeah, well maybe John had a good reason for being out that late," LaRusso replied. "He's never been hostile to us, he was quiet....Since he moved here, that kid has always been quiet."

Bosco nodded and folded his arms, "I remember whenever we took John home, Danielle wouldn't get angry about him being out late," he stated. "She would ask him if he was okay and give him a hug....then the kid would get all teary and his mom would calm him down and send him to bed."

"Danielle's a good mom to those kids," LaRusso stated. "I talk with Jimmy every once in a while and she works hard to provide for those three kids...and she's always there for her kids too."

Before Bosco could reply, Carlos and Holly came in with Tommy on a gurney. Kylie was running alongside the gurney, tears streaming down her young face.

As a doctor and nurse came over, Bosco's cell-phone started vibrating, "LaRusso, go and see what that's all about, I'll take this," he snapped, taking the cell-phone out of his pocket.

While Bosco busied himself on the phone, LaRusso wandered into the trauma area and immediately recognized who was on the gurney, "Tommy, what happened?" he asked.

"It was JT's old man," Tommy whimpered, crying as the nurses cut his clothes off.

Alarms began to sound as Tommy suddenly puked blood and passed out, "Wait outside, please," one of the nurses said as the doctor began doing CPR. 

Frowning, LaRusso stepped out into the foyer and saw Carlos sitting with a little girl on a row of plastic chairs while Holly watched from a distance, "On the way here, Carlos told me that he tried raising Kylie, but decided to give her a better life," she explained in a soft tone. "From what I've heard from Davis over the radio, Kylie's adoptive family was at that restaurant where the shots were fired...They say that the only survivors of that attack were a boy and his young cousin."

"Yeah, Tommy Lauren," Holly explained, concerned as LaRusso frowned.

LaRusso frowned, "Doesn't JT Sullivan have a friend named Tommy Lauren?" he asked, remembering what Tommy had told him just as Bosco returned.

"Davis just phoned me," Bosco said in a solemn tone. 

Holly nodded, "Tommy's in the trauma room right now in critical condition," she explained. "Carlos said that Tommy told him to look out for JT Sullivan...whoever that is."

"Look, LaRusso, I have to go upstairs and talk to Sully," Bosco said, knowing that with one kid dead and another possibly dying, John might be next. "Keep an eye on things down here."

LaRusso nodded, as he knew that Bosco was going to make sure that John was okay.

Gritting his teeth, Bosco marched off towards the elevators. Some days, he really hated his job.

Holly and LaRusso were silent as they watched Carlos and Kylie talk quietly. Even though Carlos had never mentioned giving a child up before, Holly's heart went out to both him and Kylie.

The pieces of many strange puzzles were beginning to come together, but what would happen?  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Rough hands were on his arm. John could feel rough hands, the hands of a man, on his arm.

Fighting fatigue that threatened to keep him asleep, John opened his eyes and saw a male form hovering over him with a gentle grip on his arm. Everything was quiet, where was his grandfather?

"What are you doing to my arm?" John whispered, gazing up at the silent figure.

There was a momentary silence, "It's all right, kid, I'm a night nurse," a male voice said in a gentle tone. "Just getting some vitals and checking your blood sugar....Just relax, I won't hurt you."

While the nurse continued working, John was suddenly gripped by a flashback of being unable to move or speak while things happened that were beyond his control. He began to shake violently.

"Please, let go of my arm," John said, his tired voice quaking. "Just please....stop."

The nurse sighed, "Relax, kid, I'm almost done," he said in a calm, yet monotone voice.

As sweat poured down his body, John bolted upright and jerked his arm away, "I told you to stop," he said in a dark tone, pushing the nurse away with all his might. "You'll never hurt me again."

Anger and shock pulsing through his body, John got out of bed and with one swing, he had knocked the nurse out on the floor. Unknown to him, Sully had returned from a nearby pop machine with gingerale in case John needed sugar and had heard him talking in that voice.

Unaware that his grandpa was back in the room, John swore, knocked the portable table over and took off down the hallway at a fast walk while gripping to his IV pole for support


	11. Tragic Works of Past and Present

Fighting the urge to swear, Fred drove his truck down the road as fast as he could.

On Edward's request, he had killed that gangster kid with gloves on and had tossed the gun in a dumpster, along with the gloves. Now he was alone while Edward had disappeared into the night, claiming that he had one last piece of business to accomplish before going into hiding.

Fred felt sick and angry, he had killed a kid....he had killed a kid and it was all Danielle's fault.

If Danielle hadn't escaped, Edward wouldn't be feeling the need to wreak havoc on innocent people.

Shooting up that restaurant had only been the beginning of Edward's rage satiation, Fred was absolutely sure of it. He had known the man a long time and when Edward got angry....

When they had gone their separate ways, Edward had taken the file with him. Good thing too.

Swallowing the vomit that threatened to pour from his mouth, Fred turned the corner and focused on getting as far away from his problems as he could. He would just lie low for a while with Caroline and Charlie, as if he stayed out of trouble, perhaps nobody would know of his involvement.  
******************************************************************************************************  
His mind reeling, John slowed to a walk and gazed around at the quiet Ground Zero area. 

This part of New York was asleep and by all rights, he should be too. He couldn't sleep, though.

The hand on his arm had probably been just a nurse, but the mere touch had made him panic.

Now, because of a simple panic attack, John found himself alone and cold...far from safe.

Letting out a tired yawn, he stood with his back to the street for a moment and gazed silently into the remains of the World Trade Center. Like the Center, he had lost what innocence he once had.

A cold wind shot across John's exposed back, causing him to shiver.

Maybe it was time to go back to the hospital and apologize. Besides, the bag was probably full.

Unfortunately, before he could start back to Mercy, John felt rough hands on his back.

"Hello, Johnny boy," a dark voice crooned, causing John to shiver. "It's been a long time..."  
**********************************************************************************************************  
From her upright position on the exam bed, Danielle watched as Faith and her father talked on the other side of the window. At the foot of the bed, a female doctor was sealing up a rape kit.

The clothes had been taken for evidence and had been replaced with a hospital gown so that the doctor on duty could examine her. Fortunately for Danielle, the doctor was female.

A nurse had covered her cold body with blankets and IV's had been put into her good arm. 

The cast had been checked and was now resting in a clean sling against Danielle's chest.

"It's all right to lie down and sleep, Ms. Sullivan," the doctor said. "The exam's over."

Danielle sighed and shook her head, "Can someone get me some actual clothes, please?" she asked, her voice full of irritation. "I just want to go out and look for John..."

Before the doctor could reply, Danielle saw Faith move away from her father and come into the exam room, "Faith, I really don't want to stay here," Danielle said. "I'll take it easy, but please, I just want to be out of this hospital...I've had enough hospital visits to last me a lifetime."

"I'll get you some clothes, but you should at least hang around the hospital just in case the police find John," Faith replied. "I phoned Grace a few minutes ago and David and Ellie are fine..."

Scoffing with irritation about being forced to stay, Danielle slowly got up from the exam bed and moved over to a supply rack where supplies and scrubs were kept. She took a pair of light blue scrubs off the shelf and unfolded them. The nurse gave Faith and Danielle a worried look.

"Ms. Sullivan, you should really stay in bed," the doctor admonished in a gentle tone as she watched Danielle remove her casted arm from the sling. "Your body needs rest.

Knowing that arguing with Danielle would be pointless, Faith pulled the curtain shut, "I'll sit in the doctor's lounge and behave myself," Danielle said as she took the gown off and handed it to Faith.

It didn't take long for Danielle to change into the scrubs and Faith pushed the curtain open, "Could I possibly get something to eat now?" Danielle asked, putting her arm back in the sling.

"Ms. Sullivan, you should be admitted for observation," the doctor said in an urgent tone.

Danielle sighed, "I said I'd sit in the doctor's lounge and behave myself," she replied in a no-nonsense tone. "I refuse to lie in a hospital bed and sleep while my diabetic son is out in the streets of New York alone and scared...I'm refusing admission, but I'll stick around."

Gripping to the IV pole for support, Danielle slowly moved out of the exam room and gave her father a look that clearly said I refuse to lay helpless in a hospital bed as she passed him.

"I wish that I could go out and look for John myself," Danielle said. "I'm so worried..."

Sully nodded and placed a gentle arm around his daughter, "I know," he replied. "The best thing for you to do right now, though, is to stay here and let the police work....While you were being examined, Detective Yokas told me that a city-wide alert has been put out for John."

"I told the doctor that I'm waiting in the doctor's lounge for any news," Danielle replied in a solemn tone. "Faith says she has someone looking after David and Ellie...along with Emily."

Resisting the urge to cry, Danielle turned to move away when she suddenly caught sight of Ty and Brendan walking into the ER, "Officers, have you found John yet?" she asked, walking to them.

Brendan and Ty exchanged a look, "Uh, no, we came to find out how Tommy Lauren is doing after being hurt in the restaurant shooting," Brendan explained. "We also came to talk to Carlos about that little girl who said he's her biological daughter, as she wasn't hurt in the shooting."

Frowning, as Tommy was John's best friend, Danielle and Sully exchanged a look, "Sully, I did some poking around and I found this old file of John's..." Brendan began, his voice nervous.

"First of all, Officer, whatever that file says, Edward Addison is an abusive jerk who deserves to rot in purgatory," Danielle snapped, giving Brendan an icy glare. "Secondly, I don't care if you ARE a cop, you had no business accessing a file that was clearly out of your precinct...where is it?"

Brendan gave Danielle a look, "Who exactly are you to be telling me how to do my job?" he asked, irritation in his voice about this meddler. "I don't need some hysterical woman bothering me..."

"Well, I just happen to be JT Sullivan's mother, thank you," Danielle replied in a frosty tone. "Now, I'll ask you one more time. Where is John's file?"

Brendan didn't answer, so Danielle slapped him across the face and moved off towards the lounge with fire in her eyes. Sully glared at Brendan and Ty, as did Faith.

"We had it in the car when we were at the restaraunt shooting, but when we came out, the car had a broken window and the file was gone," Ty stated. "Maybe the shooter took it."

Faith sighed, "Finney, if you're looking for Tommy Lauren, they took him up to surgery half an hour ago," she said, irritation in her voice. "You and Davis can hang around the hospital, though, since Bosco and LaRusso got pulled back to street patrol to look for John...."

"Davis, you and Finney can start by telling me how you got involved with my grandsons in the first place," Sully snapped, giving Brendan a death glare. "Let's go talk over in the waiting area."

Faith looked at Ty, "Davis, you should go upstairs and talk with Carlos and Holly," she stated, her tone urgent. "A little girl named Kylie Kennedy was a survivor of the restaurant shooting and Carlos said that Kylie is his biological daughter...Tommy is her cousin...everyone else was killed."

"She is," Ty said, floored that Carlos and Kylie were temporarily reunited. "Brendan, you go talk to Sully, I'd better go upstairs...Carlos is my friend and I should be there for him and Holly."

Before Brendan could protest, Ty walked off. Sully and Brendan walked off to the waiting area.

Concerned for Danielle's emotional state, Faith quietly moved off to the doctor's lounge.  
***************************************************************************************************  
Upstairs in the O.R. waiting area, Holly watched as Carlos placed his jacket over Kylie, who was sleeping on one of the couches. She walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I know I should have told you about Kylie," Carlos said in a soft tone. "I was a very different person back then and I really tried to keep her....it was just too hard to do...it killed me to give her up."

Holly nodded, "It was an open adoption and I spend some time visiting Kylie now and then," Carlos continued, his voice cracking. "I was over there one time and I met Tommy...his parents were never there for him, so his aunt and uncle took him in....Kylie and Tommy are good kids..."

"Carlos..." Holly said, feeling his shoulders tense up with worry and guilt over his secrets.

Carlos sighed and lowered his head. Holly would probably leave him for keeping secrets from her.

"Carlos, look at me," Holly said in a soft tone.

Swallowing hard, Carlos raised his head and turned to look at Holly, only to find her smiling.

"Carlos, I just want you to know that I love you no matter what," Holly whispered, gently stroking her husband's face. "If you want Kylie to be back in your life, I'll love her too..."

Hardly able to believe what he was hearing, Carlos went wide-eyed, "You'd be okay with it if I wanted to retake legal custody of Kylie?" he asked.

"She's your biological daughter, Carlos, I'm your wife," Holly said in a gentle tone, gazing lovingly at the sleeping Kylie. "We can even apply to be Tommy's legal guardians once he gets out of surgery...they're related and they should stay together...all they have left is each other."

Carlos smiled, but before he could reply, Ty came into the waiting room and immediately saw that Kylie was asleep on the couch, "So, Carlos, I guess the rumor is true," he said. "Faith said that Kylie and Tommy were the only survivors to that restaurant shooting..."

"Tommy's still in surgery," Holly explained. "We're just talking about how we can help."

Letting out a sigh, Carlos gave Ty a serious look, "Ty, we actually could use your help right now..."  
*****************************************************************************************************************  
Despite the cold of autumn, the sun began to rise and frost could be seen in various places.

Jimmy sighed and moved out of the firehouse to where Bosco and LaRusso were sitting in their squad car. They clearly looked frustrated about not finding John, despite lots of driving around and Bosco was on his cell-phone, which clearly made him look even more frustrated.

Since the alert had been put out about John missing, Jimmy had told Kim to stay at home and look after Joey and Camille while he went to the firehouse to alert his crew to keep a watch out.

Kim would also keep a watch from the house and she had wanted to help more, but couldn't.

"...Yeah, Danielle, I will keep my eye out and let you know," Bosco said in a weary tone. "Why don't you listen to Yokas and get a little sleep on the lounge couch? Take care of yourself."

Overhearing Danielle's name, Jimmy raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know Danielle had been found," he commented, as he had worried about her ever since she had been reported missing. "How is she?"

"She's doing as well as expected and worried out of her mind about John," Bosco replied as he closed the phone. "He ran away in a panic and doesn't have his insulin kit with him...Two of his best friends were attacked not long before he took off...one's dead, the other's in surgery at Mercy."

Jimmy nodded, "What about David and Ellie?" he asked, concerned. "Where are they?"

"Detective Yokas took them to her place and Grace Finney came over to help Emily watch them while Faith works on this," LaRusso stated. "She's also keeping an eye on Miller..."

Suddenly, Bosco frowned and looked into the rearview mirror, "Someone's coming," he said, quickly getting out of the car and seeing a lone figure walking unsteadily down the street towards them.

Wondering if it was one of the shooters, LaRusso automatically placed a hand on his gun.

Bosco, however, moved closer and despite the darkness, he could hear weak breathing sounds.

"Who's there?" a weak, but very familiar voice asked, causing Bosco to frown.

Bosco silently swore, "John, is that you?" he said, pulling Sully's old mag light off his belt.

There was silence, so Bosco turned the mag light and shined it towards the figure.

"Officer..Boscorelli," John's weak voice replied. "Please, no lights...can't tell anyone."

Swearing under his breath, Bosco took his jacket off and placed it over John's shivering shoulders, hoping it would help, "C'mon, let's get you to an ambulance," he said in a soothing tone.

John flinched at Bosco's touch, "Are you gonna hurt me?" he whimpered. "I didn't mean to run."

"No, I'm not going to hurt you," Bosco replied in a gentle tone. "Just trust me, okay?"

John was silent and then whimpered, "I don't feel good," he whispered. "He hurt me a lot..."

Biting his lip, Bosco placed a gentle hand on John's arm, "I'm such a mess," John whispered.

Immediately, John tried to pull away, but Bosco held him in a gentle grip, "I'll take you back to the hospital, okay?" he said in a gentle tone. "Once you're feeling better, you can tell me who 'he' is."

Numb with shock, John silently allowed Bosco to lead him towards the squad car and safety.  
******************************************************************************************************************  
A loud knock on the door brought Emily's attention away from the table, where she was finishing up some homework that she had procrastinated on. Emily gazed at the couch where Grace had fallen asleep and, relieved to see her asleep, she got up from the table and moved towards the door.

David and Ellie had slept through the night and wouldn't need to be up for a few more hours.

Taking a deep breath, Emily opened the door and nobody was there; the only thing around was a stuffed folder with a photo of a boy about her age clipped to the front. The boy looked very familiar.

With shaking hands, Emily picked up the folder and her eye caught a name just below the photo.

NYPD Profile: Sullivan, John Tyrone: Level - Highly Classified.

Remembering that she had known a JT Sullivan as a child, Emily carried the file over to the table and put it down. She moved back over to the door, closed, and locked it.

"Grace," Emily whispered as she moved over to the couch and shook Grace's foot. "Mrs. Finney."

Grace opened her eyes and seeing Emily, she sat up, "Emily, what are you doing up?" she asked.

"There was a knock at the door and a file in the hallway," Emily whispered as Grace got off the couch. "It had the name of someone I was friends with as a kid...."

Frowning, Grace moved over to the table and her jaw dropped when she saw the file, "Emily, can you phone your mom and tell her about this?" she asked, her voice quaking with fear.

Emily nodded and moved over to the phone. As Grace gazed at the file, tears filled her eyes.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Feeling refreshed from the nap that Faith had made her take, Danielle moved out of the doctor's lounge and into the admit area. The IV was no longer in her arm and she felt a lot better.

Faith had left while she was asleep and had most likely gone to check on her fiance.

Right away, Danielle caught sight of Bosco, who was lingering near the door with LaRusso and an embarrassed looking Brendan. The talk her father had given Brendan must have scared him.

"Officer Boscorelli, where is he?" Danielle asked, anxiety in her voice. "Where is John?"

Bosco gestured over to an area where a curtain had been drawn, "Sully's in there with him, keeping him calm while a female doctor and nurse make sure everything's okay," he explained. "He refused to go in an ambulance, so Doherty gave him a blanket and we brought him in the squad car..."

Danielle sighed, "Maurice, please, I need to see him," she said anxiously. "Take me to him.."

Knowing that Danielle only used his first name when she needed him, Bosco sighed and walked with her over to the curtain area, "Sully, it's Bosco," he said. "Danielle wants to come in."

"The exam's about finished, so I'll open the curtain," Sully stated. 

The curtain was pulled back and Danielle nearly cried when she saw John: he was pale, covered in blankets, and IV's littered his arms. His eyes were barely open from sheer exhaustion and fright.

Bosco watched as Danielle moved over to the bedside and gently pushed some of John's dark bangs away from his eyes, "Hey, sweetie, it's Mom," Danielle whispered in a gentle tone.

John opened his eyes and managed a small smile, "Mom," he whispered as he tried to lift a shaking hand to touch hers. "I'm glad you're okay....was so worried about you..."

"He's been given some insulin and intravenous fluids for dehydration," the doctor explained, smiling at Danielle. "Once John's a little more stable, he can be taken back to his room on the Peds floor...From the bruising on John's chest and back, I think he was attacked out in the streets."

Tears welling up in her eyes, Danielle took John's cold hand in her own, "John, you go to sleep for a little while, okay?" she gently encouraged. "I'll stay right with you..."

Nodding sleepily, John closed his eyes and slowly relaxed. Danielle gently stroked his dark hair.

Wanting to give Danielle and John some time alone, Sully and Bosco moved out of the curtain area and Bosco looked at Sully, "Why is John so afraid of male contact?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Bosco, I won't have this discussion in front of Danielle or John," Sully replied. "However, since you did find him and you saw his reaction to male contact, we can chat in the doctor's lounge."

Having a horrible feeling that John's fear had something to do with child abuse from his father, Bosco walked in-step with Sully towards the lounge. He couldn't help but feel afraid for the kid.

Danielle was tough and had probably carried the burden of all this alone..but did she really need to?


	12. Cycles of Cause and Effect

Closing the door to the lounge, Bosco gazed at Sully, who was lingering near the fridge, "All right, now tell me why John has touch issues," he said, crossing his arms. "Was he abused as a kid?"

Sully hesitated and then sighed, "Edward Addison used to be a Lieutenant with the 75th precinct and before he was promoted, he worked at the 55th precinct on days...I trained him when he was fresh out of the Academy...."

Bosco nodded and although that story interested him, he was more interested in the present circumstances, "Bosco, before I tell you anything else, just let me say that those were different times than we are in now...stuff was overlooked like crazy back then....police politics sucked."

Before Sully could continue, LaRusso opened the door and poked his head into the lounge, 

"Hey Bosco, there's a Grace Finney out in the foyer with a bunch of kids," LaRusso said, anxiety in his voice. "She says that she was at Yokas's apartment this morning and there was a knock at the door....A file with John's name on it was outside the door...it freaked everyone out and Yokas told them to come here...she and Finney are talking with them right now."

Bosco and Sully frowned, "Is John still in the ER?" Sully asked, concerned that seeing his file would send the kid back into shock. 

"They're just moving him," LaRusso stated. "The kid's pretty tired...."

Suddenly, a loud crash and frantic shouting could be heard, "WHAT?!!" John's loud, panicked voice filtered through the open door. "......Please.....let me see my friend..."

"Crap," Sully breathed as he moved towards the door. "What's going on now?"  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Sully and Bosco reached the admit desk just in time to see John being kept on the gurney by Danielle, who was holding him in a tight hug while a nurse wrapped a blanket around him.

Brendan was talking with Grace, David and Ellie while Faith was consoling the shaken Emily.

"What happened?" Bosco snapped, glaring daggers at Brendan.

John shuddered, "M-My buddy...Tommy," he whispered, closing his eyes. "....Can't be..."

"Baby, shhh," Danielle whispered, gently stroking John's hair. "There's nothing you can do for him right now...."

John began to sob uncontrollably, "... Tommy's hurt..," he whispered in a trembling voice. "Edward hurt my friend and he's gonna come after me...."

"The kid shouldn't have been eavesdropping on my phone call!" Brendan snapped, aggravated that Ty phoning him to tell him that Tommy was still in surgery was overheard by John.

A female doctor came over to the bed with a syringe in her hand, "John, sweetie, the doctor's going to put something in your IV that will make you sleepy," Danielle softly explained. "You're too worked up right now and that's not good...When you wake up, you'll be back in your room..."

As the doctor inserted the syringe into John's IV line, Danielle looked at Faith, "Faith, can you phone Mrs. Davis for me and ask if she can come get David and Ellie?" she asked, concern in her voice. "I want to stay with John today, but I don't want David and Ellie to miss school."

"It's not like David's a stranger to skipping school," Brendan snapped, irritation in his tone about this woman's continual interference. "Davis and I found him hanging around Ground Zero a day ago and he bolted from our car...said he had better things to do with his time."

Seeing that the medication was already starting to work on John, Danielle and the nurse lay him back down, "David Monte Sullivan, is that true?" she asked, gazing at her youngest son.

Too intimidated to speak in front of all these people, David shrugged and lowered his head.

"Dad, could you hang out down here for a little bit and talk to Officer Finney for me?" Danielle asked, giving Sully a look. "David, Ellie, I want you to come upstairs with me when the nurse takes John back to his room...I think we need to spend some time together, talking about things...."

Sully nodded, "If you don't mind, Sully, I'd kinda like to help move John back upstairs," Bosco suddenly spoke up, a seriousness in his voice that hadn't been there before. 

Sully gave Bosco a confused look, but nodded, "It might be a good idea for there to be some police protection in his room," he stated. "If there's any problems, let me know."

"He's about ready to go back upstairs," the doctor said, gazing at the sleeping John. 

The nurse raised the gurney rails and gave Bosco a look, "Are you sure you want to take time out of your busy day, Officer Boscorelli?" she asked, doubting Bosco's seriousness.

Bosco gave Danielle a brief look and nodded, "I'm sure," he replied in a soft tone as he gazed back at the nurse. "The doctor's probably got other work to do and I have the time...."

"All right, then," the nurse stated as she began to move the gurney.

Danielle looked at Bosco, "Won't Officer LaRusso be looking for you?" she asked, not wanting to trouble Bosco anymore than she already had.

"LaRusso's still over in Bed Stuy," Bosco replied. "He's talking with Doherty....I brought John in the squad car and he'll catch a taxi back to Mercy when he's done at the firehouse."

Despite her immense worry and tiredness, Danielle gave Bosco a look of both adoration and appreciation, "Thank you," she replied, her voice almost a whisper as David and Ellie came over to the gurney. "We should probably get him upstairs before the sedative wears off..."

Bosco nodded and was silent as David and Ellie came over, "Do you think my mommy is pretty?" Ellie suddenly asked Bosco, as she had noticed the look the cop had given her mother.

Sully gave Bosco a look with an eyebrow raised, "Ellie, that's not a polite question to ask in public," Danielle replied in a monotone voice, gazing down at the floor. "Shall we?"

As he took Ellie's hand and they followed, David fought back a chuckle at Ellie's curiosity.

Making a mental note to talk with Bosco or Danielle at a later date, Sully gritted his teeth and turned his attention to Brendan. Unfortunately, Brendan had disappeared without a trace.

"Faith, Grace, did either of you see where Finney went?" Sully asked, irritation in his voice.

Faith shrugged, "He left just a few seconds ago," she replied. "He was mumbling something about needing to get back to work....I thought Davis was upstairs talking with Carlos and Holly?"

"Sully, I'm really worried about Brendan," Grace said, remembering an email he had sent her the night before. "He sent me a text last night...saying that he was working on something top secret and that he couldn't tell me what he was doing....he said it was very dangerous stuff."

Sully and Faith exchanged a look and Faith looked at Emily, "Emily, could you find Danielle and wait in John's room until I come?" she asked, not wanting Emily to overhear the conversation.

Emily nodded and hurried off to catch up with the group heading towards the elevators. 

Grace's eyes widened, "Is Brendan's strange behavior somehow connected to the file that I found on the doorstep of your apartment, Detective Yokas?" she asked, worry in her voice.

"I don't know, Grace," Faith replied, giving her a look before gazing at Sully. "Sully, go find Davis and tell him that Finney has gone AWOL....he might be in a lot of danger."

Sully nodded and muttering something about Finney's stupidity, he moved off down the hallway.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Meanwhile, Brendan was walking away from Mercy as fast as he could and towards a black truck that was parked at a corner. The windows were rolled up and tinted so nothing could be seen.

Taking a look around to make sure nobody was watching him, Brendan knocked on a window.

The window went down a crack, "Who is it?" a rough voice asked.

"Brendan Finney," Brendan replied, his tone quiet. "I talked with Fred Yokas the other day..."

The door suddenly opened and Brendan was pulled into the truck, only to find himself facing a man with a hat and sunglasses on, "I suppose Fred Yokas told you about my problem son," the man hissed, fury in his voice. "JT has always hated me...he got your father to fire me...little brat."

Brendan nodded, "I was the only one who could control him," the man hissed. "The last time I saw him, he was an innocent brat just trying to survive....I sure smartened him up."

Horror washed over Brendan as he quickly realized that this man was JT's father and that he was far from innocent; this man was a monster and he wanted revenge on the kid...at any cost.

"Now, since your old man got me fired and arrested, I believe you owe me," the man hissed, reaching over and pulling the door shut. "We're gonna go for a little drive..."

Brendan made to move, but Edward grabbed his gun and auto-locked the doors, "Nice try, Finney," Edward hissed, holding the gun to Brendan's head. "Next time, choose your allies carefully."

Powerless to do anything with a gun to his head, Brendan was silent. Howling with laughter at Brendan's submissiveness, Edward kept the gun at his head as he drove off down the street.

Brendan then realized that trying to interfere had been a very bad idea; it could cost him his life.  
**********************************************************************************************************  
Fighting the urge to puke, Fred drove his truck down the street towards the parking lot across the street from Mercy. He could see two blonde women standing at a vehicle...they looked familiar.

Oh, shoot, that's Faith. Fred realized. Fortunately, his truck windows were tinted and he was hidden from his ex-wife's sight. If she had seen him, questions would have arisen, as would trouble.

He hadn't even wanted to be this close to the hospital, he wanted to be with his own family.

Unfortunately, as he was driving home, Edward had phoned him and basically ordered him to go and get John's file so that they could blackmail the brat with it later. Fred had protested, but Edward had reminded him that he had killed a kid in Bed-Stuy and unless Fred wanted to do time for murder, he had better shut up and do what he was told. Fred had reluctantly agreed.

As he was about to drive off, Fred's eye caught sight of a thick folder that the other blonde woman was handing to Faith. He watched as the two women left it closed and talked quietly. 

Then, without warning, the one woman got into the vehicle and Faith went back towards the entrance of the hospital with the folder in her hands. Fred figured that she was going to show it to another cop. So much for trying to blackmail the little brat into obedience. Fred thought angrily.

Realizing that the pieces of Edward's past would be put together soon if they weren't already, Fred got out his cell-phone and dialled his friend's number. He was silent as he put the phone to his ear.

"....Eddie, it's Fred," Fred said quietly into the phone. "...I have some bad news..."

There was a brief silence and Fred suddenly winced, as he could hear muffled shouting on the other end, "...You kidnapped a cop?!" he hissed, his voice anxious. "...Where are you, anyway?!"

"...All right, will you please stop swearing?" Fred hissed. "I'll come and help you beat up the cop..."

Slamming his phone shut, Fred threw it on the passenger seat and sped away from the parking lot.

Despite wanting to cause more trouble on his own, Fred had to drop everything to help his friend deal with the same nosy cop who had asked about JT the night before...he was causing trouble.

Edward probably planned to use the cop to get to JT, but the cop needed some smartening up...  
*****************************************************************************************************************  
The hospital room was quiet as Danielle sat in a chair near the window with one arm around David and her casted arm out of its sling and carefully around Ellie. They watched as John slept while Emily lingered in the corner of the room, her eyes not leaving John's sleeping form for a moment.

After helping move John upstairs, Bosco had made the nurse stay and had left the room to run some sort of secret errand. He had promised that he wouldn't be long, so not to worry. 

So far, he had been gone a little over an hour and Danielle was tempted to tell her father on him, as Bosco had promised to stay with them and had promptly disappeared without a trace.

As she knew how her eldest reacted to any type of sedative, Danielle had insisted that John be laid on his side and a bedpan be placed within reach. When John finally woke, he would get sick.

The nurse had settled John and gone off to get his breakfast, during which time Danielle had talked with David about how he shouldn't skip school even if his brother was sick in the hospital. David had promised to never skip school again and to be nicer to people. Ellie had piped up and promised to help David like school, which David appreciated. Danielle had been convinced of David's sincerity.

Now that the nurse was back, a tray of a plate containing one slice toasted whole wheat bread with a small amount of margarine on it, a small cup of egg substitute that was barely filled, a half cup of oatmeal, a half cup of skim milk, and one half of a small banana that had been peeled and sliced. 

"Is there anything else you or your children need, Ms. Sullivan?" the nurse asked, giving Danielle, David, and Ellie a compassionate look. "Perhaps I can take your younger kids down to the playroom and you can get some rest before John wakes up?"

Despite being tired, Danielle shook her head, "No, thank you, a friend of my father's is coming to take them to school," she replied, smiling. "Until then, I'd rather they stay with me and John."

The nurse looked as if she wanted to argue, but before she could, there was a loud whistling sound.

Startled, Danielle released her two younger children and rose just in time to see Bosco coming down the hallway carrying two large fast food bags. He looked slightly winded, but was smiling.

"I figured that you and your little ones could use some breakfast," Bosco said as he entered the room and placed the bags on the portable table. "I ran down the street to a little cafe...."

Ellie's eyes widened and she moved quickly over to the bags, but David remained by his mother and glared daggers at Bosco, "Don't call me a little one," he snapped, his voice stern. "I'm almost ten."

Bosco ignored the attitude and turned his attention to Ellie, who had opened the bag and was pulling wrapped items out. He let out a small chuckle at the little girl's curiosity.

"I had to go really far to find a McDonald's," Bosco commented, smiling as Ellie unwrapped a sandwich and took a bite. "I know I should have asked you first, Danielle, but I figured...."

Danielle smiled and gently shunted David forward with her good arm, "It's okay, I appreciate that you took the time to care," she replied, her voice gentle. "David, have something to eat..."

Reluctantly, David moved over to the portable table and took the bags off the table. 

Without saying a word, he moved back over to his mother and placed the bags in her lap.

"Uh, one of those is for Sully too," Bosco spoke up, slightly unnerved that David was acting so aloff towards him for no apparent reason. "I should probably take it downstairs...."

Bosco quickly moved over and taking one of the bags, he moved out into the hallway as quickly as he could without appearing rude. He figured that it would be better to keep his distance.

As he turned away, Bosco saw Danielle quietly talking to David as Ellie continued eating.

To Bosco, families came in all forms and even in their worst, they should stay together....  
*************************************************************************************************************  
Muffled screams came to Fred's attention as he entered the abandoned building that Edward had directed him to during their phone call. No doubt that Eddie was having great fun torturing the cop.

A few more steps and Fred found Edward hovering over a metal table where Brendan, who had been stripped of his jacket, shirt, and bulletproof vest was tied. He was wavering in and out of consciousness and there was a gag firmly planted in his mouth. His face was covered in blood.

Edward's knuckles had bloodstains on them and he was grinning manically, "Now, Sergeant Finney, I think you want to help me," he hissed. "I know all about the different precincts in New York and I'll make your life a living nightmare....and that of your old friends."

Brendan said nothing, he stared up at the ceiling with a determined look in his tired eyes.

"Eddie, what are you DOING?!" Fred yelled, appalled by the cop's condition.

Edward turned and stared at Fred, "I'm seeing if our dear Sergeant Finney can help me gain access to my disobedient spawn," he snapped. "I warned JT that the next time we met would be his last...I didn't get to play with him at Ground Zero as much as I would have liked...so unfortunate."

Fred remained silent for a moment, "Why are you bugging some stupid cop about him?" he asked, his voice full of irritation. "If you want JT, I can just follow Emily around at a distance. In case you forgot, she and JT used to be really good friends when they were kids...maybe they still are."

Edward was silent for a moment and then nodded, "It's your lucky day, Finney," he hissed as he began untying Brendan. "You won't die now....at least for the next few moments..."

Once Brendan was untied, Edward glared at Fred, "Keep an eye on him until I get back," he ordered, pure evil in his voice. "I have to go somewhere...I'll be back shortly..."

Fred nodded and gazed at Brendan, who let out a muffled whimper as Edward stalked off.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Over in Bed-Stuy, Jimmy and LaRusso came out of the firehouse and started down the street towards a waiting taxi that would take LaRusso back to Mercy, where he would catch up with Bosco. Jimmy, meanwhile, would finish off some paperwork and go home for a few hours sleep.

Their talk concerning John's wherabouts hadn't amounted to much, as LaRusso hadn't been the one to take John back and more than likely, Bosco knew more about the situation. 

They had mostly talked about Jimmy's family, LaRusso's continual lack of a steady girlfriend, and when Danielle might be allowed to come back to work. It had been a slow shift for the firehouse.

As LaRusso prepared to get into the taxi, Jimmy suddenly noticed a masked man approaching the firehouse with a small pistol in hand, "LaRusso!" Jimmy shouted. "DOWN!"

Unfortunately, although Jimmy dived for cover, LaRusso wasn't quick enough and was promptly hit in the shoulder when the gunman fired at him; the gun was aimed to kill, but obviously failed.

Without hesitation, the gunman then fled around a corner. LaRusso promptly collapsed with a hand over his arm. His face was pale and he was beginning to panic, mumbling that he was gonna die.

Alarmed, Jimmy rushed over to the injured LaRusso and, taking his jacket off, he quickly applied pressure to the wound, "Hang on, LaRusso," Jimmy said, taking his cell-phone out. "Hang on."  
******************************************************************************************************************  
Chuckling in disbelief that Bosco had brought him breakfast from outside the hospital, Sully quietly ate his breakfast sandwich and watched as Bosco paced the foyer anxiously, deep in thought.

Sully had been up to visit Davis, told him of Brendan's disappearance and had left again, seeing that Ty was preoccupied with helping Carlos and Holly secure guardianship of Kylie and Tommy.

"Okay, Bosco, I'm not stupid," Sully commented in an amused tone. "You obviously have a thing for Danielle and that's why you're being so nice about her kids...."

Bosco glared at Sully, "I do not have a thing for Danielle," he argued. "I haven't known her that long and we've got nothing in common. I just happen to like her kids...Besides, she is so stubborn.."

"Yeah, but I think a stubborn woman would be good for you," Sully replied, an amused grin on his face as he took a bite of his sandwich. "However, I'm not in the habit of playing Cupid for Danielle."

Bosco sighed, "Sully, you talked about JT's father being a guy named Edward Addison," he said, remembering their talk from earlier. "Were this Addison guy and Danielle ever married?"

"Yeah, they were married for a short, unhappy period of time," Sully replied, a slight tone of disgust in his voice. "She didn't even love him...she only tried to for the sake of her kids. Even though she always told me and tried to show that she loved him, I could tell that Danielle hated Edward."

Bosco was quiet for a moment and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a woman with curly hair enter the ER and, after looking around, she waved at Sully. Sully smiled and waved back.

"That's Maggie Davis, Ty's mom and the vice principal at David and Ellie's school," Sully explained, remembering Danielle's earlier words. "She's here to take David and Ellie to school today."

Before Bosco could reply, a nurse came over from the desk, "Officer Boscorelli, a Captain Doherty's calling for you from a cell-phone," she explained. "She said your partner was shot in Bed-Stuy."

Sully looked shocked and Bosco frowned and moved over to the desk where the phone sat off of its cradle. He picked up the phone and Sully watched a shocked expression form on Bosco's face.

"....No, make him keep the mask on," Sully heard Bosco say into the phone as he approached the desk to see if Bosco was okay. "...He's got an uncle in Miami...I'll give him a call..."

A few more minutes passed and, mumbling something, Bosco hung up and sighed, "LaRusso was talking with Doherty outside the firehouse and this guy with a gun showed up suddenly," he explained, struggling to keep his voice from breaking. "He's awake for now, but...."

"Look, Bosco, go do what you need to do," Sully cut him off in a calm tone. "I can go upstairs and hang out in John's room for a while...Do you know who this uncle of LaRusso's is?"

Bosco thought for a moment and nodded, "LaRusso told me once that his uncle's name is Horatio Caine," he replied. "It was on an evening when we were ducking calls....we were bored..."

Sully nodded, "Okay, I'm sure if you ask very nicely, the nurses will be able to connect you with this Horatio Caine in Miami," he stated, gently patting Bosco's arm as he gazed at the nurses.

Still numb with shock, Bosco looked to the nurses and as they helped him, Sully moved away.  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Fighting the urge to yawn, Carlos silently watched as nurses wheeled a semi-conscious Tommy into a room on the Pediatric ICU floor. The surgery and recovery had gone surprisingly well.

Although Tommy had chest tubes to take care of pneumothoraxes and a removed kidney because of what the bullet had done before exiting his body, he would be fine with a lot of rest and care. 

At Ty's insistence, Holly had taken Kylie to a social services office to get a clearance for temporary guardianship to both kids and to also begin the process of adopting Kylie. Once Tommy was feeling better, Carlos and Holly would offer him the option of adoption, but allow him to choose for himself.

As a safety precaution, Ty had gone with them and would call Carlos with updates as things progressed. It also gave him something to do, as he was off duty and Sasha was busy that day.

For the moment, Tommy was asleep, but on the way out of Recovery, he had briefly regained consciousness and asked about Kylie. Carlos had explained that Holly was taking care of Kylie and that explanation seemed to calm the boy, especially after Carlos promised to stay with him.

In turn, Carlos had called his boss at the firehouse and had gotten an authorized LOA for both of them the time being, as his supervisor was intrigued by the circumstances and was proud of them.

Letting out a sigh, Carlos walked into the room and watched as the nurses made the slowly recovering teen to be as comfortable as possible. It was fortunate that Tommy had survived.

It wasn't exactly the way Carlos had planned on having kids, but he was willing to become a father.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Upstairs, Danielle sighed as she watched Maggie leave with David and Ellie in tow.

As they turned a corner to the elevators, she turned her attention back to John, who was awake and eating slowly. He didn't seem to mind that Faith and Emily were in the corner, watching him.

After seeing Grace off, getting the file, and locking it in her car to return later on, Faith had come up to John's room and found that Emily was keeping a groggy John entertained with small talk while Danielle checked his blood sugar and gave him insulin with the nurse's assistance.

"Mom, can I stay here and hang out with John this morning?" Emily suddenly asked, as she was beginning to remember the friendship that she and John had shared as kids. 

Faith thought for a moment and looked at John, "Do you mind if she does, John?" she asked, not wanting the young man to feel more uncomfortable about his hospital stay than he already was.

John shrugged and looked at Emily, "I'm not really gonna be able to do much but lie here," he replied, his tone slightly less tense than normal. "If you really don't mind that, then..."

"Personally, I think it'll be fun," Danielle stated, hoping to draw John out of his shell. "If you two want something to do, I can go to the nurse's station and see if they can hook up a VCR in here...Maybe we can all watch a movie or something...could be a fun morning."

Relieved that his mom wouldn't force him to be alone with someone whom he hadn't seen in years, John slowly smiled, "Yeah, that sounds good," he replied. "Emily can hang out here if she wants."

Faith smiled and, giving Emily a hug, she left the room, as she wanted to return John's file.

Danielle smiled at Emily "If you want to freshen up while I help John finish breakfast, you can," she encouraged the girl, hoping Emily would sense the need for John to have some privacy eating.

Emily nodded and promptly vanished into the bathroom. Danielle then helped John continue eating.

"I'm glad she doesn't think I'm a freak for having diabetes," John commented, his tone of voice showing how nervous he felt around Emily. "Most girls would think that I'm a freak for it."

As John ate another few bites, Danielle gently brushed some loose hair off of his head, "Oh, John, you are most certainly NOT a freak," she said softly. "You're quite a special individual, actually."

Even though he didn't feel special for what he had endured, John nodded and silently continued eating. Maybe someday, with some help and love, he would be able to feel like a person again.  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Unaware of how much he was shaking, Brendan stumbled into his and Grace's bedroom and immediately disappeared underneath the covers of their double bed. He felt sick to his stomach.

After Edward had returned, he and Fred had dragged Brendan out to a dark alley, kicked him a few times and told him that worse things were coming. Then, laughing hysterically, they had left the injured cop alone in the alley. No doubt that they thought he would either die or go insane.

Brendan lay on the ground for a few minutes, then put his shirt and jacket back on. He rose, ripped the gag from his mouth, and walked at a fast pace all the way home with his vest in his hand.

Now, while the vest and gag lay on the floor, Brendan shivered violently underneath the covers.

It was inevitable; he was just like his father in that he was stupid enough to get involved with crooks and child abusers. It was his own fault that he was feeling like crap, as he walked right into the trap.

"Brendan?" Brendan suddenly heard Grace say as the apartment door opened and closed.

Brendan remained silent; he was too humiliated to admit that he had been screwed by criminals.

Grace wandered into the bedroom and smiled as she saw Brendan in bed, "Hey, honey, did you have a good shift?" she asked, her voice light as she sat on the bed.

There was silence and Brendan suddenly began to sob. Grace gave him an alarmed look.

"Brendan, honey, what's wrong?" Grace asked as she placed her hands on his back.

Brendan sniffled and sat up, facing Grace, "I did something really stupid," he whispered, watching as Grace touched his bleeding, bruised face with a shocked expression on her own face.

During the next few minutes that Brendan was explaining his stupidity, Grace listened with nothing but compassion and love in her eyes. She wasn't going to abandon Brendan over his mistakes.

After finishing his explanation, Brendan continued sobbing and saying that Ty would want nothing more to do with him. Grace had gotten the first-aid kit out of the bathroom and while she talked soothingly to him, she cleaned his face and patched it up. 

Ty could be informed of things later on, as right now, Brendan needed sleep and lots of care.

Once he was cleaned up, Grace sat there, holding her husband and listening to him cry.

Regardless of how Ty reacted, Brendan knew that more was going to happen...very soon.


	13. Two Worlds Crashing Into One

A few more days passed and eyes were everywhere...trying to stir up more chaos.

After shooting LaRusso and fleeing, Edward had put on an old cop uniform, complete with a pair of black, leather gloves, and slipped into the Bed-Stuy precinct in the middle of the night. He had then accessed LaRusso's personal file.

He would have gone after Danielle or her kids again, but that kind of thing would get him caught and he wanted to cause a little more trouble; he hated his eldest son more than Danielle and by getting rid of those who were obviously protecting the boy, it would be easier to get John.

Still dressed in his cop uniform, Edward had then left the precinct and visited LaRusso's home address and found an open door that led into a mess, "Sweetie, is that you?!" an angry voice sounded out as Edward entered the house. "I told you to come home at a specific time!"

There was silence and then a dark haired woman whose clothes were almost pristine came marching into the foyer, "Oh, I thought it was that useless husband of mine," the woman snapped, an angry glare on her face. "Who are you and where is that lazy husband of mine?"

"My name is Edward Addison, I work at the precinct with your husband," Edward lied, trying to sound professional so that this woman would give more information. "Your husband was shot the other day and he's currently recovering at Mercy...."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "That stupid idiot can't even go a day without some mishap," she snapped as she moved into the living room. "He's so useless...I hate him."

As the woman moved into the living room, Edward followed and immediately noticed full perscription bottles on the coffee table. He reached down and picked one of the bottles up.

LaRusso, Amanda - Risperidone - Take twice daily. Treats schizophrenia.

Ahh, LaRusso's wife obviously has some sort of mental disorder. This could work to my advantage. Edward thought as he watched the woman move into the kitchen, still ranting.

"I swear, ever since we got married, Bobby's been nothing but a burden," Amanda LaRusso ranted as she came out of the kitchen with a knife in hand. "He took my kids away and tried to have me committed to a mental hospital...I want to kill him...I hate him and his partner..."

Amanda threw the knife on the rug and glared at Edward, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" she asked, her tone aggressive. "I want Bobby and that Boscorelli freak dead!"

Grinning, Edward pulled the gun that he used to shoot LaRusso from his pocket and handed it casually to Amanda; the gun had been wiped clean after he had shot LaRusso.

"Why don't you go and take care of it, then?" Edward casually asked, smiling as Amanda took the gun. "If anyone asks, you're just going to take care of some unfinished business...."

Amanda was silent for a minute, "There's also a few people in Miami that I could use this on," she hissed, her eyes wide as she studied the gun. "A few years ago, Bobby was going to take the kids and go to Miami, so I beat him senseless with a baseball bat....I learned to control him...Who CARES if he's got an uncle in Miami who's a bigwig cop....I'll kill him....he's so dead...."

Edward was silent as Amanda stalked out of the room and then, a brainwave hit him.

Smiling cunningly, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell-phone, and dialled a number, "Hey, Bernie, it's Edward," Edward hissed into the phone. "I need your help in getting what I want."

Keeping his ear pressed to the phone, Edward moved through the house and slipped out the back door. Bernard Marquez was in Miami, as were other allies, but they could prove a great help now.

After talking with Bernard about stirring chaos up in Miami, Edward would send Fred to find children that he knew belonged to friends of Danielle's. Only two or three would be needed to fulfill his purpose: to get JT to trade his own, worthless life for that of several innocent children. 

It would take a parent to catch a child after all...perhaps using other children as bait.  
******************************************************************************************************  
As the bathroom light turned off, John stepped out of the bathroom and slowly made his way over to the freshly made hospital bed, "Feeling better, baby?" Danielle asked, smiling as she walked over to him and put her good arm in his own. "I bet that shower helped a lot..."

John managed a tiny smile; his hair was washed and he was wearing clean socks, dark scrub pants and a slightly oversized, gray t-shirt with a detailed medical bracelet on his left wrist.   
As he reached the bed and pulled away from his mother to sit, however, the smile faded, "Mom, I don't know if I can go back to that house," John whispered, a hint of fear in his voice. "When I go into the kitchen, I see you laying on the floor...being approached by those goons."

Danielle sighed; she knew that John had been having flashbacks during the day, as when he did, he got all quiet and pretended to sleep. Fortunately, she had also been talking with her father and had figured out a plan that would not only help John, but also David, Ellie, and herself.

Feeling drained from using the bathroom and showering without supervision, John leaned back and rested his head on the pillow, "How long has it been since the insulin shot?" he asked.

"Only twenty minutes," Danielle replied. "The nurse will probably bring your breakfast soon..."

John nodded, "Hey, Mom, I know you're tired and all, but can…can I ask a favor?" he asked.

Danielle smiled and gently brushed some water droplets off of John's forehead, "Of course you can ask me a favor," she said in a gentle tone. "Besides, I'm not tired...I slept last night."

"I was wondering if you could go see how Tommy's doing," John replied, his voice almost a whisper. "I heard some nurses talking...he was moved to this floor yesterday and it's my fault that he's in the hospital at all, so I can't....just, please, tell him that I'm sorry."

John turned his face away, but Danielle was quick to notice that tears were in his eyes, "John, honey, it is NOT your fault that Tommy got shot," she replied, her voice soft as she sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "I don't know why it happened, but it wasn't your fault."

The only reply Danielle got was the sound of soft breathing, so she looked up and realized that John had fallen asleep; the poor kid had worn himself out this morning and it was fortunate that the doctor wasn't going to release him until noon, as he could eat and rest for a little while longer.

A soft knock on the door caused Danielle to look over at the door and she was very surprised to see Bosco standing there, "I was coming to visit LaRusso and thought I'd stop by to see how John's doing," Bosco commented, an unusual shyness in his tone.

"Well, as you can see, John's sleeping," Danielle replied softly. "This is the third day in a row that he's able to actually have showers and use the bathroom without nurse supervision…that flu is almost gone, but it's taken a lot out of him...his diabetes is doing okay, fortunately."

Bosco moved further into the room, "All right, what's wrong?" he asked, noting the look of discontent on Danielle's face. "Are David and Ellie okay? Is something wrong with Sully?"

"David, Ellie, and my dad are fine," Danielle replied. "I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to explain the last six years to my dad...There's a lot that happened that I'm not proud of."

Danielle sighed and stood up, "I thought my life when I lived in New York was complicated," she said, exhaustion in her voice. "I lived in Miami for a little bit...some bad things happened there..."

Without warning, Danielle moved closer to Bosco, "When I came back with my kids, I don't know...you and LaRusso seemed to be a good influence on them, especially John...." she said, her voice low as she placed her arms around his neck. "You broke the walls down, Maurice."

"Your kids hate me, especially John," Bosco argued, ignoring the warm feeling he was getting from having Danielle's arms around him. "I don't blame him, though...I'm easy to hate."

Fighting the ever-increasing feelings of attraction she had harboured for this headstrong cop ever since they had first met back at the end of June, Danielle leaned in closer to Bosco's face.

"Why am I attracted to you, Maurice Boscorelli?" Danielle whispered as their lips touched.

For the next few moments, there was silence as Bosco and Danielle became lost in their intense kiss. Danielle's good hand brushed against the bandage on Bosco's face, causing him to pull away sharply. The two stared at eachother for a moment and then looked at the sleeping John.

"Wow, John would have freaked out if he caught us kissing," Bosco commented, a tone of relief in his voice that it hadn't gone too far. "That was definitely nice, though..."

Danielle nodded and was relieved to see the nurse coming with John's breakfast on a tray, "I should probably wake John up so he can eat," she said, moving back over to the bed. "My dad went to run some sort of errand this morning and isn't going to be back until John gets released, so I need to look after things here...I'm just glad that Mrs. Davis is looking after David and Ellie at school today…."  
"Yeah, I should probably go and visit LaRusso," Bosco said, slowly moving towards the door.

Not wanting John to find him in the room, Bosco quietly slipped out and moved down the hallway.

As he walked towards the elevator, Bosco spotted Carlos lingering outside another private hospital room. Carlos obviously looked tired, but determined to get through the day.

"Bosco, man, what's up?" Carlos asked, his voice tired. "What are you doing here?"

Bosco sighed, "I came to visit LaRusso and thought I'd stop and visit John for a minute," he replied, keeping his tone neutral. "I heard you and Holly got custody of Kylie..."

Carlos nodded, "Yeah, we got custody of Kylie and we're working on getting custody of Tommy," he stated. "Ty accompanied Holly and Kylie downtown...they're shopping for clothes for Kylie."

Carlos paused, catching that Bosco had mentioned LaRusso, "I don't know if LaRusso's gonna be allowed any more visitors right now," he explained. "When I was coming back from the cafeteria, I saw Kim bring LaRusso's three kids to his room for a visit...I dunno if they're still in there…Danielle was in there late last night….she stayed for about an hour or so…"

Bosco raised an eyebrow, "LaRusso's not married," he commented, a frown on his face. "I didn't know that he had any kids...If he does, why is Kim and not his wife bringing her for a visit?"

"There's rumors all over the place about LaRusso," Carlos replied. "I've heard that LaRusso's wife has some sort of mental issues and endangered their kids....I think they're separated..."

Fighting the urge to swear that LaRusso had been keeping major secrets from him despite them being partners since June, Bosco nodded, "Anyway, Bosco, it's been nice talking with you, but I should get back into Tommy's room," Carlos stated. "The nurse is done checking on him and he's doing well...not ready to go home by any means, but he's getting there..."

"Has anyone told him about his parents?" Bosco asked, having heard that nobody survived that shooting but Tommy and Kylie.

Carlos nodded, "Yeah, I did and he's coming to terms with that," he replied. "Tommy's promised that when he's feeling better, he'll go talk to someone about it....Oh, he asked me to send a message along to John...John shouldn't worry about him and they're best still friends...."

"I'll stop by John's room and give him the message when I get back from visiting LaRusso," Bosco promised as he moved away. "Take care, Carlos....give my best to Tommy, all right?"

Nodding, Carlos went back inside the hospital room. Bosco sighed and continued walking.

Little did Carlos or Bosco know that LaRusso and Danielle's secrets would come to hurt many.  
*************************************************************************************************************  
While waiting for Kylie to come out of the change room, Holly smiled at Ty, who was in full uniform and lingering against a rack of shirts. This was a very nice department store.

Brendan had called in sick again and had told Ty that he was going to be too sick to work for a while and that Grace would be looking after him. In reality, Brendan was anguished over his involvement with Edward Addison and Fred Yokas and was planning a impromptu holiday.

Ty had talked to his chief and the chief had just told Ty not to worry about it; he was just to continue helping Carlos and Holly with the Tommy and Kylie situation.

Now, while standing there, Ty spotted Faith and Emily over in the shoes section, looking at different pairs of funny-looking slippers. He assumed that they were shopping for Miller, who was still in the hospital, but recovering from his injuries nicely.

The change-room door suddenly opened and Kylie came out dressed in a pair of nice jeans, a sweater, and a jacket. Holly smiled and hugged the eager little girl, causing Ty to smile.

"...Ma'am, STOP!" an anxious voice suddenly rang out. "SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!"

Ty moved away from the cubicle and saw a crazed looking woman marching down the main aisle with a gun in her hand that was raised to fire. She spotted Ty and screamed manically.

"BOBBY, YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE MY KIDS?!" Amanda screamed, firing at the ceiling as she moved agressively towards Ty. "I AM A COMPETENT MOTHER, BOBBY LARUSSO!"

Hearing the surname LaRusso, Ty frowned and shot a quick glance in Faith's direction. 

Putting an arm around Emily and pulling her behind a shelf, Faith pulled out her cell-phone and began dialling 9-1-1. Something about this woman didn't seem right...she seemed a little off.

At the sight of the gun, Kylie screamed and began crying. Unfortunately, the woman heard that and turned her sights to Kylie, who was being held protectively by Holly.

"You Miami tramp, get your hands off my daughter," Amanda hissed at Holly as she moved over to Kylie and pushed Holly away. "Come on, sweetie, come to Mommy..."

Amanda grabbed Kylie and began marching towards the exit with her, "Come on, sweetie, we'll get your brother and sister from school," she snapped, unaware that Ty was following.

"I want my mommy," Kylie whimpered as they approached the door. "You're a bad lady."

Two store associates who heard the commotion tried to stop Amanda, but she raised the gun and with two shots, both associates lay on the floor bleeding. Amanda then put the gun to Kylie's head.

"If anyone else tries to stop me, I will kill my little girl," Amanda hissed, which caused Ty to stop in his tracks and helplessly watch as Amanda left the store with the crying Kylie.

As an alarm began to sound, a devastated looking Holly came up to Ty, "Why would that woman take Kylie?" she asked, her voice a sorrowful whisper. "She thought Kylie was her daughter..."

Ty was lost for words and instead pulled the distraught Holly into a hug, unaware that Faith and Emily were approaching from behind. They had called the precinct and were now going to wait.  
*********************************************************************************************************  
Unfortunately, about half a block from the store, Amanda and Kylie quickly wandered into danger.

With no emotion on his face, Edward quickly shot Amanda in the shoulder and had put Kylie into the back of his truck; he had threatened to kill her if she didn't obey him, so she was quiet.

While Amanda lay on the ground bleeding and muttering manically about nonsense, Edward got back behind the wheel of his truck and roared off down the street. Another one for the collection.

As Edward drove, he hoped that Fred was at the elementary school and would soon have Ellie in his grasp. Fred understood that even if he had to shoot a lot of kids, he had to get Ellie.

It would absolutely kill both Danielle and JT to lose Ellie....as Ellie was a sweet, precious child.  
*************************************************************************************************************  
Within the walls of the elementary school, Maggie Davis was watching as David and Ellie walked together through the halls. Both of them were supposed to be in class and it worried her.

"David, Ellie, where are you going?" Maggie asked in a gentle tone as she approached them.

David froze, "Mrs. Davis, John gets out of the hospital today and...," he started, his courage fading as he figured that Mrs. Davis would probably get mad at them for trying to leave school.

"If you wanted to see John, why didn't you ask me and I could take you?" Maggie asked, surprised that David or Ellie wouldn't have the courage to come to her with a simple request.

David and Ellie looked at each other, "Well, since you're out of class anyway, I'll take you over to Mercy so you can see him," Maggie said with a sigh. "On the way over, we'll talk...okay?"

Relieved not to be in trouble, David took Ellie's hand and they followed Maggie down the hallway towards the exit. As they approached the exit, however, Fred came into view waving a gun.

"I'm gonna need David and Ellie to come with me," Fred said, no hint of remorse in his voice.

David spat at Fred, "Screw you, man," he hissed, pulling Ellie close to him.

"If you don't come with me, I'm gonna shoot your teacher," Fred hissed, pointing the gun at Maggie. "After that, I’m gonna go to the hospital and kill your mommy and brother.”

Ellie whimpered and, pulling away from David, she moved over to Fred, “Let’s go, kid, I don’t have all day,” Fred hissed, gesturing for David to join his sister. “Hurry up…”

David reluctantly moved towards Fred and at the last second, he rushed at him in a feeble attempt to tackle the taller man. Unfortunately, Fred was faster and yanked David off the ground by his shirt collar.  
“You’re not worth the trouble, kid,” Fred hissed as he dropped David on to the floor hard.

Cackling at the fear that was evident on Maggie’s face, Fred turned and quickly left the school with Ellie in tow. 

Fighting the urge to throw up or scream, Maggie gently helped the shaken David to his feet and, putting a protective arm around him, quickly moved towards the office to call 9-1-1.  
******************************************************************************************  
Breakfast had come and gone so quickly and John was tired again…he was always tired.

His mom had suddenly gotten a call on her cell-phone and had rushed downstairs, promising to be right back and that if he needed anything, a nurse was right nearby. John had been too tired to ask questions.

As far as he knew, he would be here for a while longer; he had no idea that he was being released today or that his grandfather’s secret errand and his mom’s disappearance were going to help in his recovery.

Letting out a yawn, John gazed at the ceiling and was debating whether or not to go back to sleep when the room phone suddenly rang. After the second ring, John sighed, got up and walked over to the phone.

“Hey, JT, if you want your little sister and Kylie Nieto to live, you’ll come to Coney Island alone at sunrise tomorrow and let what’s coming to you happen,” a deep, hissing-like voice said. “Otherwise, I know good child molesters in Miami that will have some fun with your little sister and Kylie…a lot of kinky fun.”

John’s heart turned to ice as he realized that his sister and Tommy’s cousin were in danger; most likely, they were in the hands of Edward Addison, as the man wouldn’t hesitate to cause innocents harm just to torment him. The problem, John knew, was that his body was too weak to even move from the hospital bed.

“John, helllllp,” Ellie’s scared voice suddenly rang out, which caught the attention of a passing nurse.

Feeling as if he were going to vomit, John set the phone on the table and inadvertently pressed the speaker button as he moved away, “….You had better come, JT, unless you want these little angels to suffer,” the voice hissed as the nurse moved into the room to catch John, who was sinking to the floor.

As the nurse caught John and led him back over to the bed, there was a click, indicating that the caller had hung up. Shaken about his sister and Kylie possibly being played with, John sank against the pillow silently.  
“I want my mom,” John whispered as tears came to his eyes. “I want my mom…”

While John cried, the nurse moved out into the hall to use the station phone so not to tamper with evidence.

However, as soon as John was alone, he sniffled and shakily getting to his feet, he moved towards the door. Even though Tommy was probably not up for visitors, John knew that he had to talk to his friend.

Unfortunately, with the phone call, everything had just taken a turn for the worse.  
***********************************************************************************  
As Holly moved off the elevator and on to the Peds floor, she was relieved that Ty was guiding her along.

After giving information to Detective Yokas and the responding officers, Ty had brought her back to the hospital to talk with Carlos and Tommy. Right after the woman had fled with Kylie, Holly had phoned Carlos and he was devastated, but was currently focused on tying to keep the equally shaken Tommy calm.

Ty helped Holly move back to Tommy’s door, which was strangely ajar, “….Look, JT, you can’t go blaming yourself for this happening,” they heard Tommy’s tired voice say. “…You’re freaking Carlos out with your crying….Crap, man, I’m freaked out by your crying….You didn’t cause this….”

“….I don’t give a crap if I die, I’m gonna go to Coney Island tomorrow morning and give myself up,” John’s tired voice filtered out the door. “I would die for my mom and my siblings…I love them so much…”

Holly gave Ty an alarmed look, “Ty, go downstairs and get Sully and Danielle,” she whispered, worried for John’s current mental state and what he was saying. “I’ll wait here….I’m worried…”

Ty nodded and began moving away, “….Man, I haven’t seen you like this since you were a kid and your dad messed with you,” he heard Tommy say in a concerned tone. “….I mean, when you got beat up and molested in Miami last summer, you phoned me…I’m glad you told your mom about that, by the way……”

“….I’m such a freak,” Ty heard as he moved towards the elevator. “….I deserve whatever I get.”  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Downstairs in the ER, Bosco paced the desk, occasionally shooting an icy glare at the nurses.

He had gone to LaRusso’s room to visit, only to find that LaRusso was gone and had left his gown, some chest tubes, IV’s, and a note behind saying that he was leaving New York for a while and would be back when things were safer.   
Perhaps LaRusso had left with his kids that morning after his kids were brought to visit, but why would he leave?  
Bosco had pocketed the note, argued with three doctors about LaRusso’s early, unannounced release, and had stormed down the stairs to the ER; he had since antagonized all of the nurses and was now trying to calm down. 

At the other end of the ER, Maggie had entered with David and was talking to him quietly in the waiting area, as the kid was shaken about what had happened at the school. Not far from them, Faith was lingering near the door, having dropped Emily back at school so that she could come and work; this situation was now a Major Case.

The elevator dinged suddenly and Bosco looked away from the desk just in time to see Ty come into the ER with an expression of pure anguish on his face. Seeing Bosco, Ty came over to the desk and swallowed hard. 

“John got a threatening phone call saying that his sister and Kylie Nieto were in trouble,” Ty explained in a hushed voice as he kept one eye on the doors. “When I was hanging out with Holly and Kylie at a department store, some psychotic woman came and kidnapped Kylie…We found the woman not far from the store, but Kylie was gone…she’s in custody right now, but she said that her name is Amanda LaRusso…she was looking for her husband and had a gun on her…Amanda might have been the one to shoot LaRusso down in Bed-Stuy, as the shooter was wearing a mask.”

Bosco sighed, “Well, if you’re looking to talk to LaRusso, he went AWOL from the hospital not long ago,” he replied, a frown crossing his face as he saw Sully and Danielle walk into the ER. “Apparently, LaRusso has kids too…”

Ty flinched as he saw Faith talk with Sully and Danielle; they quickly looked both heartbroken and thunderstruck at what had happened and it was obvious to Ty, just by the look on Sully’s face, that justice was going to be immediately sought.

While Faith and Sully talked, Ty and Bosco watched as Danielle moved over to where David was sitting with Maggie; Danielle talked with Maggie for a moment and then hugged David with her good arm. She then led David out of the waiting area and it was obvious that David was beyond devastated about what had happened to his sister.

“Are you okay?” Ty asked as Danielle led David over to the desk. 

Danielle sighed, “I’m not and I need to be,” she replied in a snappish tone. “I was hoping that John could be released today, but after hearing what happened…I need to be with both of my boys right now and just pray that Ellie will live.”

“She’ll live, don’t worry,” Ty stated, unaware that John was making his way towards the desk and was as pale as a ghost.

Danielle’s eyes suddenly widened as she noticed John, “John, honey, you should be in bed,” Danielle said as she gently moved over to him. “Honey, there’s no easy way to tell you this, but….”

“I already know that Ellie and Kylie Nieto were kidnapped,” John replied in a monotone voice. “Someone called my room and said that if I go to Coney Island alone tomorrow morning at sunrise, they’ll be let go…If I don’t, Kylie and Ellie are gonna be taken to Miami and played with by some child molesters…one of them was probably my attacker…..I want to go and save her….I‘m just so scared….it‘s all my fault that this crap is happening….all my fault…I‘m so worthless.”

Danielle sighed again and gently pulled both John and David against her, “Officer Boscorelli, can you please get me the number for the Miami-Dade Police Department in Miami, Florida?” she asked as she felt both of her sons crying into her shirt. “I need to call some old friends for a favor…I can‘t rescue Ellie and Kylie alone, this situation requires outside help.”

Bosco nodded and moved behind the desk to locate a phone book. He would do anything to help Danielle.

It wasn’t the first time in Ty’s life that he was shocked speechless and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Life was always chaotic and because of this situation, worry, stress, and pain had intensified to a whole new level.  
***********************************************************************************************************************************  
Gazing around the busy LaGuardia Airport, Brendan and Grace walked down the gate and on to the plane that would take them to a much needed vacation in the heart of Miami; they had enough money to take some time to rest.

Thanks to an abnormally large accumulation of sick days that both Brendan and Grace had saved up, a vacation was not only justified, but really needed. Brendan needed to get away from stress for a while and Grace would be at his side.

Ty would be able to manage without him for a while; he was too concerned with other things to notice what was happening to his partner. The two hadn’t talked since the chat over JT’s file and Brendan preferred it that way.

Despite being partners for a while, Brendan never really felt that he was his own person; he seemed to still be drowning in the mistakes his father had involved himself in. He just wanted to prove that he was a very different person.

While Brendan basked in having Grace beside him for better or worse, a figure in the first class section of the plane was reflecting on the crappiness that fate had served him and how he was going to make life better for himself and his kids.

Disguised in a dark greatcoat and sunglasses, LaRusso leaned back in his seat and gazed at the three seats next to him; his nine year old son, Bobby Jr.; his six year old daughter, Maggie; and his four year old son, Adam were fast asleep and covered by blankets that had been provided by the flight attendants. They looked so peaceful.

At the advice of his uncle, LaRusso had turned to Danielle for help in getting in contact with the underground abuse network that was connected to Miami; Danielle had connected him with the appropriate people and now, with one arm bandaged and in a sling because of being shot, he was taking his kids to Miami for a better life…a fresh start.

Nobody knew that he didn’t intend to come back; he just claimed that he was using some sick days up for vacation.

Once the kids were settled and he had a new job, LaRusso would send his resignation to New York.

Bosco had been a good partner, yes, but even the best partnerships had to break up…Life often changed.

It was ironic, however, that LaRusso had not yet heard the last of New York…it would come back to face him soon.


	14. Bringing Yesterday Into Today

Ignoring the concerned look that David was giving him, John got up from the hospital bed and slowly moved towards the wheelchair that was waiting to wheel him out of the hospital.

"Mom said to stay in bed until she got back from the nurse's station," David protested as John slowly gripped the wheelchair. "She and Grandpa Sullivan are gonna get mad at you."

John shrugged and shivered, "David, do me a favor and go see if there's any jackets or anything in the closet," he said in a tired voice. "I'm feeling kind of cold with just a t-shirt..."

David nodded and moving over to the closet, he opened it to find a skimpy hospital robe, "There's nothing in here but a little robe," he said as he turned around and saw that John had moved away from the wheelchair and sat back on the hospital bed. "Hey, John, are you okay?"

"Just tired," John replied in a faint voice as he lay his head back on the pillow.

David looked down the hallway, "Do you want me to get Mom?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine," John replied as he closed his eyes. "Just gonna rest my eyes for a minute."

In actuality, John was thinking about Ellie and how it was all his fault that she was taken. 

He was severely tempted to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and go to Coney Island, where Edward would most likely be waiting to finish him off, like he deserved.

However, with his mom and Grandpa Sullivan around, John knew that chances of him being left alone were severely low because of his unstable health. He also knew that with Ellie missing, his mother and grandfather would want to keep him and David as close to home as possible.

"John, sweetie, are you all right?" Danielle asked as she walked back into the room with a small bag in her hands that contained something that Bosco had bought for John in the gift shop.

Not wanting anyone to think he wasn't ready to go home, John opened his eyes, "I'm just resting my eyes, Mom," he said in a tired voice as he sat up. "Being sick took a lot out of me."

"I know," Danielle said in a gentle tone as she moved over to the bed and placed the bag on his lap. "While I was bringing you back up here, Officer Boscorelli went to the gift shop and got you something that he hopes will help you to feel better...He got called to go back out on duty, so he asked me to bring it upstairs for you to wear out of the hospital...It might be a little big, though."

John opened the bag and pulled out a light blue hoodie with a zipper, "Wow," he said as he stared at the hoodie and how nice it was. "Officer Boscorelli didn't have to get this for me, Mom."

"Sweetie, Officer Boscorelli wanted to do something nice for you," Danielle replied. "Do you want me to help you get it on? It's kind of cold outside today."

John shook his head and slowly put the hoodie on over his t-shirt, "Mom, does this have anything to do with the face that you and Officer Boscorelli were kissing in my hospital room the other day?" he asked, wondering if the cop had bought the hoodie for him out of guilt.

Surprised that John had heard her and Bosco, Danielle gave John a look, "It's okay, though, you know?" he said. "As long as Bosco doesn't beat the crap out of you, it's okay to like him..."

Danielle sighed and gently mussed John's hair before looking at David, "David, can you help me get John into the wheelchair?" she asked her youngest son. "Your grandfather is waiting downstairs...The police also want to talk to you about what happened at the school.."

"I don't wanna talk to the cops!" David whined. "Cops freak me out."

As he rose from the bed again, John shot a look at David, "You'll talk to the cops, little brother," he said in a gentle, but very firm tone. "Just because I hate cops, doesn't mean you're allowed to."

With a sigh, David nodded and watched as John walked over to the wheelchair, "I may have diabetes, but I'm not made of glass," he said as he sat down. "David, get the backpack."

David grabbed the diabetes bag from underneath the bed and placed it on John's lap, "Okay, I guess we can go downstairs now," Danielle said as a nurse entered the room.

John was silent as a nurse wheeled him from the room, but every so often he would look at David, who looked more than a little bit annoyed about having to talk to the police.

It didn't take them long to take the elevator down to the ER, where Sully was waiting at the desk and listening as Faith talked with a stressed looking Maggie. Upon seeing that Danielle had brought John and David downstairs, Sully whispered something to Maggie and smiled at John.

"Ready to go?" Sully asked, trying to keep his voice light so not to freak John out. 

Danielle gently rubbed John's shoulder, "We're ready, Dad," she replied in a soft tone. "Are you sure you don't mind putting us up at your apartment? You don't have to go to the trouble."

John and David exchanged a look, "I thought we were going home," David commented.

"Well, I talked with your grandfather and going home doesn't seem like a very good idea, considering all that's happened," Danielle gently explained. "Until I can find us a safer place to live, it's best that we stay at your grandfather's apartment...it's the best thing for now."

Sully cleared his throat, indicating to the boys that the discussion was over, "David, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes about what happened at the school," Faith suddenly said. "I already talked with Mrs. Davis about it, but I need to talk to you."

"Faith, can we do this back at my apartment?" Sully interjected. "That way, both Danielle and John can rest and it's a less formal setting...A nine year old doesn't need to feel like a suspect."

Faith thought for a minute and then nodded, "I'll follow you in my car," she said.

It bothered John that everyone seemed to be avoiding the subject of Ellie around him, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to voice his concerns in front of his grandfather or mother, as they would think he was either not feeling good or suffering from delusions.

While Danielle focused her attention on John and David, Sully and Faith exchanged a look with Maggie and then watched as the nurse wheeled John towards the exit doors.

As they walked out of the hospital, Danielle made a note to contact an old friend...from Miami.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
The coldness of the warehouse was really getting to Fred, but he ignored it, "Eddie, when are we going to go to Miami?" Fred asked as he saw Edward standing in front of a locked door.

"My contact should arrive at any minute to prepare the girls for their journey," Edward said in a dark tone. "I have a friend in Miami that is going to be at the airport to transport the girls to where Stewart is waiting...The word is that Clavo picked up a Miami sweetheart to join the party."

Fred was silent for a moment and could hear crying on the other side of the door, "I can't believe it, those little brats are STILL crying like babies," Edward scoffed in a disgusted tone. 

There was a creaking sound and footsteps, "Edward, are you here?" a dark voice asked. "Bernie paid for me to come up and collect some toys that are to be sent to Miami?"

Hearing the little girls referred to as toys, Fred felt sick that he was involved in this situation.

"Actually, they need to be calmed down before being put on a plane," Edward replied in a smooth voice. "I assume you brought some drugs to put the little beauties to sleep for their journey?"

Edward pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, "They're in there, Savarrio," he hissed. "I need to talk to Fred, but you come and do whatever you need to do."

Dr. Savarrio came out of the shadows carrying a doctor's bag, "Excellent," he said, smiling. "I'm eager to see my new patients....I'll have them nice and quiet for the flight to Miami."

"Fred, let's take a walk," Edward said as Dr. Savarrio entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I need you to do something for me before the journey."

Edward and Fred moved away from the room in silence, "I need you to go to Coney Island and leave something there for my demon spawn to find," Edward hissed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope that was bound to a digital camera by a rubber band.

"How do you know JT will actually go there when you told him to?" Fred asked as Edward handed him the items. "From what I've heard in talking to Emily, he just got out of Mercy today."

Fred sighed; he hadn't meant to use his daughter to track JT's movements, but Emily seemed like the easiest way to get anything done. He just played it up as a concerned father and it worked.

Fortunately for him, Emily had been at school on a spare when he called, so nobody else knew that the conversation had taken place. He had asked Emily not to tell her mother about their talk.

"JT will come, that boy is a pile of walking guilt," Edward reassured him. "Not only did he have a messed up childhood, I also have a reliable source that says JT got into some trouble in Miami."

Fred nodded, "I'll go take care of it right now," he promised as he moved away.

As Fred left, Edward grinned to himself; this could be pulled off and Fred could take the fall.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Ignoring the looks they were getting from on-duty personnel, Bosco and Ty exchanged a look and continued to wait for whoever summoned them to come and greet them.

Ty had been talking with Carlos, Holly, and Tommy in Tommy's hospital room when he had gotten a call from his chief that his presence was required at the precinct where he worked. He had tried to get out of it, but the caller had insisted on him coming to the the precinct right away.

After telling Carlos, Holly, and Tommy to stay at the hospital and just relax, Ty had reluctantly left the hospital through the front doors and caught a taxi. Upon arriving at the precinct, Ty had been surprised to see Bosco there, lingering outside of an interrogation room with an IAB officer.

The IAB officer had instructed Ty and Bosco to wait before disappearing into the interrogation room, the window of which was covered by closed blinds. A lot of noise could be heard inside.

There was silence for several minutes and then the door suddenly opened, "Lieutenant Davis, Officer Boscorelli, would you please join us?" a brisk voice said. 

Exchanging a look, Bosco and Ty entered the room and saw an infuriated woman sitting in the corner, tightly bound in a restraint chair used for unruly prisoners. The Chief of the Bed-Stuy Precinct, Andrew Morris, and also the head of Anti-Crime, Captain Kevin Diamond, were also in the room, as was the IAB officer. A thick file was on the table, along with several thick envelopes.

"Boscorelli, you stupid maggot!" the woman suddenly shouted as she tried to lunge towards Bosco. "Did you help Bobby get the kids out of New York?! Did you help that scumball?!"

Bosco raised an eyebrow and looked at his chief, "Officer Boscorelli, this is Amanda LaRusso," the Bed-Stuy Chief explained. "Your partner and her have been legally separated for about a year, but they still live in the same household...along with three young children."

"I didn't know LaRusso was married," Bosco commented, a frown on his face. "He never told me."

Amanda scoffed, "I wouldn't call it a marriage," she snapped venomously. "Bobby was hardly what one could call a husband...I had to resort to rather painful methods to control that idiot."

Letting out a sigh, the IAB officer moved over to Amanda and quickly covered her mouth with duct tape so that there wouldn't be any more interruptions, "Amanda was arrested and treated for a burn after being threatened with a weapon...She had tried to kidnap Kylie Nieto from a department store according to cameras and witnesses from the store...one that Lieutenant Davis was at."

"What happened to Kylie Nieto, then?" Ty asked, raising an eyebrow. 

The IAB officer let out another exasperated sigh, "Amanda, as she insists on being called, says that as she was fleeing with Kylie, a truck came and took Kylie....to who knows where."

Shaking his head, Chief Morris scoffed, "Officer LaRusso asked me to keep the secret about his abusive marriage and mentally ill wife," he explained. "I promised that I would, but with the recent disappearance of LaRusso and his kids, I need to know where he went and why..."

"I don't know where LaRusso went," Bosco said. "I didn't know hardly anything about him."

Captain Diamond bit his lip, "Well, according to information we got concerning Sergeant Finney's possible involvement in a murder, we think that LaRusso and his kids went to Miami." he stated. 

"Wait, Brendan is involved in a murder in Miami?" Ty asked, his voice full of pure shock.

Chief Morris looked at Bosco, "Boscorelli, is there anyone that visited LaRusso in the last few days that could have aided in him leaving New York with his kids?" he asked.

Bosco thought for a moment, "I don't know a lot about who visited him," he admitted. "However, I do remember that Danielle Sullivan visited him last night and Kim Doherty brought his kids by for a visit earlier this morning....By the time I got to LaRusso's room, he was gone."

"Okay, Boscorelli, I need you to go check with Captain Doherty about where his wife and Miss Sullivan can be found," Chief Morris stated. "I'll be waiting at Bed-Stuy Precinct for them."

Bosco nodded and moved towards the door, "That's all for now, Boscorelli," the IAB officer said in a clipped tone. "However, we still need to talk to Lieutenant Davis, as his partner's badge was found at the scene of a murder in Miami and Sergeant Finney is currently AWOL."

Giving Ty a sympathetic look, Bosco and Chief Morris left the interview room in silence.  
**********************************************************************************************************  
Unbeknownst to anyone else, however, Ray had landed in New York, stashed Suzie and Madison in his New York safehouse, and had located Kim and Jimmy's house from secret information.

Looking around to ensure that nobody was around, Ray knocked on the door and was surprised when Kim answered quickly, "Kim Doherty?" Ray asked, taking in the surprised look on Kim's face as she recongized him. "I'm Raymond Caine...do you remember me from a few months ago?"

"The last time I saw you is when you escorted Danielle, John, David, and Ellie to Bed-Stuy and arranged for her to work under Jimmy at the firehouse in June," Kim replied. "You said that if there was ever a reason to worry, you would be back....what exactly is wrong?"

Ray sighed, "I flew in a private plane from Miami and on my way to your house, I heard through news broadcasts that two little girls named Ellie Sullivan and Kylie Nieto were kidnapped," he explained in a hushed voice. "I know for a fact that Ellie's biological father is connected to some very dangerous criminals in Miami...There is little doubt that he is taking the girls to Miami."

"What do you want me to do?" Kim asked, anxiety in her voice. 

"From what I have heard, the NYPD is also looking into the sudden disappearance of Officer LaRusso," Ray stated. "What you may not know is that Officer LaRusso is the son of Adria Caine- LaRusso, my sister who was murdered years ago when her son was just a boy...My brother raised him in Miami and he has most likely returned to Miami with his children for help from Horatio."

Before Kim could reply, Camille's cries could be heard from inside, "Just be aware that as safety contacts for the underground abuse network, you and Jimmy could possibly be in danger," Ray stated in an urgent tone as he extracted a card from his pocket. "If something happens, here is the address of a safehouse in New York City that I own....use it if you need to, all right?"

Kim nodded and took the card, "Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry, Ray, I have to go."

As Kim closed the door, Ray left the property and took off down an alley at a run.

Since Madison and Suzie were now out of harm's reach, it was time to get back to Miami.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Gazing around the recently cleaned apartment, John silently allowed his mother to lead him over to a couch that had been pulled out into a hideabed, "Sweetie, you can sleep in a bedroom if you want," Danielle said as John slowly sat on the hideabed. "I can sleep out here."

"I'll be fine out here, Mom, don't worry," John replied in a tired voice as he lay down on the hideabed and rested his head on the pillow. "Is it okay if I sleep for a little while?"

Danielle nodded, "I'm gonna check on how David and your grandpa," she said. "Since we got here two hours ago, they've been in the kitchen poring over that diabetic cookbook your grandpa bought...I think it's good that you don't have to deal with this alone...we all love you, John."

John nodded and letting out a tired sigh, he closed his eyes. He was unbelievably exhausted.

There were footsteps, silence, and then soft talking, which all faded as John slept soundly.

A sudden knock at the door didn't stir the young man, nor did Danielle's footsteps as she walked through the living room and over to the door. She opened the door to find Bosco standing there.

"Maurice, what are you doing here?" Danielle asked, keeping her voice low so that John wouldn't wake up. "I thought you were called back to duty?"

Bosco was quiet for a minute and then sighed, "Okay, so I heard that you and Kim were the last to visit LaRusso before he disappeared from New York with his kids," he explained. 

Danielle nodded, "Yeah, I was there last night," she replied. "Kim brought his kids by for a visit this morning....What exactly is your point, Maurice?"

"I wasn't called back on duty, Danielle," Bosco replied in a grave tone. "I was called over to Davis's precinct to have a little chat with my chief, Ty's chief, and an officer from IAB."

Danielle was silent, so Bosco continued, "I was told that LaRusso was legally separated from his wife, but he still lived with his wife and three kids," he stated. "Apparently, his wife is mentally ill and abused LaRusso to keep him from taking the kids and leaving her for good...."

"What exactly is your point?" Danielle asked in a snappish tone. "I know all of that already."

Bosco nodded, "Chief Morris wants to talk to both you and Kim down at the Bed-Stuy Precinct a.s.a.p.," he said in a solemn tone. "I'm supposed to escort you down there...right now."

"Maurice, John just got home from the hospital and Faith is coming over to get information from David on what happened at the school," Danielle protested. "She was going to follow us here, but she had to take Mrs. Davis to the precinct to get more info...Faith is on her way over here now."

Before Bosco could reply, Sully wandered into the living room, "Bosco, what are you doing here?" he asked in a concerned tone. "Is everything okay?"

"I need to take Danielle to my precinct for questioning," Bosco replied in a hushed tone. "She was one of the last people to visit LaRusso in the hospital before he disappeared with his kids."

Sully looked at Danielle, "Dad, can you keep an eye on things when Detective Yokas comes to talk to David?" Danielle asked, pain in her tone. "When John wakes up, take care of him..."

"Look, if your arm is still bugging you, I could stall for time," Bosco said, hesitant about having to bring someone who he cared about deeply in for questioning. "You don't have to do this now."

Danielle glared at Bosco, "The cast is probably gonna come off in the next few days," she snapped. "If the cops want to talk to me, I might as well do it now..."

Without another word, Danielle stalked out of the apartment, "Let's go, Maurice," she snapped, her tone full of ice. "I really don't have all day...I have a daughter missing, a sick son, and a son who doesn't know how to feel after seeing his only sister taken by a psychopath."

Bosco nodded and followed Danielle out into the hallway. Sully closed the door and looked back at the hideabed, feeling intense relief when he saw that John hadn't woken from his sleep.

Little did Sully know, however, that David had eavesdropped from the kitchen and was now angry that his family thought him an emotionless weakling who couldn't do anything useful.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Intense anger filled Fred's heart as he walked down the street from the warehouse towards his truck, which was now filthy because of all the driving he had been forced to do.

He had dropped the items off on Coney Island where he figured John would see them and then he had promptly returned to the warehouse, expecting to leave for Miami. 

Unfortunately, Edward, Dr. Savarrio, and the little girls were gone and all that was left behind was a bunch of unused medical supplies, along with a loaded gun. Fred had let out an enraged scream, gathered the medical supplies, and had pocketed the gun; he might need it.

Now, as he walked back to his truck, Fred suddenly spotted a abnormally thin, blonde-haired woman and a little girl coming out of a dilapidated apartment building. They looked as if they had been hiding there and hadn't seen sun or proper food for quite a while.

Fred grinned to himself; Edward had screwed him out of a trip to Miami, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't have his own fun in New York. Those two seemed like the perfect target for his fun.

"Hey, excuse me, can you help me out?" Fred asked as he jogged over to where Suzie and Madison were. "I'm kind of lost....I was wondering if you could provide me with directions."

Suzie stopped and Fred gave her what he hoped looked like an embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry, but I haven't been here for that long," she said in an apologetic tone. "I'm from Miami..."

Fred was silent for a moment as he realized that he could have some fun with someone who Bernie was probably looking for, "That's okay," Fred replied as he pulled the gun from his pocket and pointed it at them. "If you don't come with me now, I'll pop off you and your little girl."

Without waiting for a reply, Fred grabbed Suzie, who grabbed Madison. He dragged them over to where his truck was parked and quickly shoved them inside. He then got behind the wheel and locked the doors so that nobody could go anywhere. These two would keep him entertained.

As the truck roared off down the street, Madison leaned against Suzie and began to cry softly.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Danielle was silent as she watched a uniformed officer escort Kim into the interrogation where she was already sitting across from Chief Morris and Bosco. Kim looked infuriated about being there.

"I had to call Jimmy at work and get him to come home to watch Camille," Kim said as she took the empty chair next to Danielle. "Why the heck were Danielle and I called in for questioning?"

Chief Morris sighed, "According to Officer Boscorelli, Miss Sullivan visited Officer LaRusso at Mercy Hospital last night," he explained. "Then, Mrs. Doherty, you brought LaRusso's children to the hospital this morning and that was the last time anyone saw him or his children..."

"Did Officer Boscorelli mention that Officer LaRusso left a note?" Danielle asked in a professional tone, as any possible relationship with Bosco didn't matter at this moment in time.

Chief Morris looked at Bosco, who promptly produced the note from his pocket, "The note said that that he was leaving New York for a while and would be back when things were safer." Bosco explained in a monotone voice as he tossed the note on the table. "Captain Diamond from Anti-Crime thinks that LaRusso took his kids to Miami to reconnect with family...is that true?"

"As much as it may kill you both to hear this, I can't really comment on that," Danielle replied in an icy tone as she exchanged a look with Kim. "Both Kim and I are sworn to absolute confidentiality."

Bosco sighed, "If you don't say anything, that's an obstruction of justice," he stated, hating that he was having to do this at all. "Obstruction of justice is an arrestable offense...you know that."

"If Officer LaRusso wanted take his kids and to go be near family, he's better off left alone," Danielle stated in a firm tone. "He hasn't done anything wrong and he's on medical leave."

Biting his lip, Bosco looked at Chief Morris, "So, since it's basically confirmed that LaRusso is in Miami with his kids, what do we do now?" he asked. "He's technically still on medical leave."

"Well, Boscorelli, there's really nothing we can do about LaRusso at this point," Chief Morris said in a firm tone. "What he does with his kids during medical leave is his busines, whether or not his mentally ill wife is in custody....He's perfectly justified in taking a vacation with his kids."

Bosco nodded, "Besides, the whole NYPD is currently up in arms about this mess that Lieutenant Addison and Sergeant Finney might be involved in," Chief Morris stated. "According to Lieutenant Davis, Sergeant Finney took some vacation time with his wife not long before..."

"Edward is an ex-cop, might I remind you," Danielle suddenly spoke up. "All of the information concerning his career-ending criminal activity was documented by the NYPD."

Chief Morris sighed, "Boscorelli, I'm assigning you to guard duty for the Sullivan family," he said in an exasperated tone. "I have to help the other precincts co-ordinate a search for Sergeant Finney and see if he is actually involved in this Miami murder...Mrs. Doherty, I suggest you go home and sit tight with your family...get your son from school and stay as close to home as possible."

Kim nodded and, standing, she left in absolute silence. Danielle looked at Bosco.

"You get to explain this to my father," Danielle stated as she stood up and moved towards the door. "I know this makes you uncomfortable, but it does help to have you watching out for us."

Ignoring the sly look that Chief Morris was giving him, Bosco sighed and followed her from the room, taking care to close the door behind him. It was certainly a crazy day in New York.  
******************************************************************************************************  
David glared defiantly at Faith as he sat across Sully's kitchen table from her, "I don't know what else to say," he said, a tiny frown on his face. "I was scared that the guy was gonna kill me."

Faith sighed; she had gotten David to tell her what he had seen and heard, but it wasn't much different from what Maggie Davis had said at the hospital. David was also being difficult.

"David, I need to know if you remember anything else," Faith stated in a firm tone. "Whatever information you're hiding, you need to tell me....It could help us find your little sister."

David remained silent and looked over to Sully, who was sitting on the edge of the hideabed where John was still sound asleep, "I don't know anything else," he said. 

"Okay, do you think you can talk to a profiler about what the man looked like?" Faith asked, knowing that she wouldn't get any more information out of David. "a profiler is someone who can make a sketch based on what you can remember...it could identify who took Ellie."

David shrugged, "I don't remember," he whined. "I'm tired of talking about this..."

Letting out a sigh, David stood up and moved off into the kitchen, "I don't know where David learned how to be rude like that, but it wasn't from his mother or me," Sully said in an apologetic tone. "When Danielle comes back, I tell her about it and she can talk to David about manners."

Before Faith could reply, the door opened and Danielle and Bosco came into the apartment looking as if the entire world had been dropped on them, "Dad, Chief Morris said that Bosco's going to be guarding us for a little while," Danielle said as Bosco closed the door. 

"Danielle, I think you need to talk to David," Sully commented. "He was just extremely rude to Detective Yokas when she tried to get more information about Ellie's kidnapping...:

Danielle sighed and checked her watch, "David's probably just stressed and he'll probably want to apologize later on," she said. "Dad, can you wake John up while I get his kit? I know he probably just wants to sleep, but I don't want his blood sugar getting all messed up..."

Sully nodded and gently shook John's shoulder while Danielle moved off into the kitchen where she kept John's kit. Faith and Bosco looked at each other, but neither of them said anything.

"Well, I have to take the information that David did give me and make out a report," Faith said in a slightly annoyed tone. "If he remembers anything else, I left my number on the kitchen table."

As Faith left the apartment, Bosco watched as John opened his eyes and looked at Sully, "Hey, John, I know you don't wanna wake up right now, but your mom is gonna check your blood sugar, okay?" Sully said in a gentle tone. "Do you need some help sitting up?"

"I'm thirsty," John groggily replied as he slowly sat up so that Sully could rearrange the pillows on the hideabed. "Can you help me stand up so I can get something to drink from the kitchen?"

Sully shook his head and helped John into a semi-sitting position so he could have the pillows to support his back and head, "Just sit there and relax," he said in a gentle tone. "Bosco, can you go see what's taking Danielle so long to get his kit?"

Bosco nodded and moved off into the kitchen, where Danielle was holding John's kit and looking at David, who had settled himself at the table with a muffin, "...I honestly don't remember anything else, Mom, I was too scared," David said. "I don't want Ellie to end up dead...."

"Ellie will not die, you told the police everything that happened," Danielle said firmly. "Maurice, can you please take this out to my dad and ask him to check John's blood sugar? I'm gonna go draw a bath for John that he can have after he gets something into his system...."

Bosco nodded and taking the kit, he moved out of the kitchen. Danielle looked at David and giving her son a smile, she moved towards the bathroom. She needed some time to herself.

Once she was in the bathroom with the door closed, Danielle plugged the tub and turned the water on, as it would filter any other sound out. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell-phone that was kept on hand at all times in case there was ever an emergency.

Silently hoping that this wouldn't come back to bite her, Danielle dialled a long-distance number that she had long since memorized and waited. There were several rings and then a quiet voice.

"Natalia, it's Danielle," Danielle whispered into the phone. "My daughter and another little girl were kidnapped...I have this horrible feeling that they'll end up in Miami....I need some help, Natalia."  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Hours later, around sunset, Tommy lay asleep in his hospital bed, completely alone for the first time since he was shot. There were nurses on call in case he woke and needed anything.

Carlos and Holly had been so distressed over Kylie being missing that Tommy had insisted that they take time to go out to dinner on their own. They badly needed some sort of distraction.

They had originally been reluctant to go, but after Ty had asked them to join him and Sasha for dinner, as a way to get his mind off Brendan's disappearance and possible involvement in a Miami murder, both Carlos and Holly had relented and promised Tommy that they wouldn't be long.

So far, the police hadn't found anything concrete, but there had been rumors from civilians that two little girls matching Kylie and Ellie's descriptions had been seen near JFK Airport hours ago.

Since the police were looking into that, Tommy figured that everything would be solved soon and at the insistence of the nurse who had brought him dinner, he was now getting some rest.

Little did Tommy know that someone had slipped into his hospital room and was approaching his hospital bed. All was still quiet and a pale hand reached out to touch his arm.

"Tommy," a hoarse voice said in a quiet tone as he tapped Tommy's arm. "Wake up."

Tommy's eyes opened, "JT, man, what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see John standing there dressed in sneakers, socks, jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie with his hair combed and a backpack slung over one shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be at home resting?"

"Cut the coddling crap," John said in a nervous tone. "I'm going to Coney Island right now and then I'm going to Miami to look for my sister and Kylie...I came here to say goodbye."

Tommy gaped at John, "Dude, you cannot go running off to Miami by yourself," he whispered in an anxious voice. "Whoever took Kylie and Ellie are into some major gang stuff and they have weapons....You'll end up killed and your body will get stuffed in some canal somewhere."

"Oh, please, Carlos has let you watch too many violent shows in here," John scoffed. "The only thing I'm worried about is my diabetes...I think I have enough insulin, though."

Fighting the urge to press the call button, Tommy sighed, "How exactly are you gonna PAY for a way to Miami?" he asked. "Your mom so would not give you a credit card to do that..."

"I sorta stole my Grandpa Sullivan's credit card and some cash from his wallet," John replied in a slightly sheepish tone. "Nobody saw me leave, they were all asleep....I left a note that they can find in the morning....I'll be long gone by then....there's a midnight flight to Miami from JFK and I intend to be on it....When I was fully awake and eating, I used the computer for "homework."

Tommy sighed, "You look like crap, JT," he replied softly. "You shouldn't go alone."

"I gotta go, Tommy," John said as he moved away from the bed. "Get some rest, okay?"

Tommy opened his mouth to protest, but John quietly slipped out at a very fast walk.

Letting out a sigh, Tommy reached for the phone and dialed Emily's number; He had met Emily when she and JT had been taking a small walk to help him get his strength back and Emily had given him her phone number so that they could all hang out when circumstances were better.

If he couldn't talk JT into not going to Miami, maybe he could talk Emily into going with him.  
******************************************************************************************************  
As the sun faded from illuminating the New York City skyline, John sighed and gazed at the envelope that he had found taped to a camera; that meant that they were already in Miami.

The air was becoming colder by the minute, yet John knew that since he had come to Coney Island and found nothing but a camera and envelope, Edward wanted to kill him in Miami and had taken innocent children with the knowledge that even JT Sullivan wouldn't let innocents die.

However, even though he knew that going to Miami meant death, John was willing to pay the price of his own life if it meant that Ellie and Kylie Nieto would be safe. 

John gazed at his watch; it was nine p.m. and it was time to catch a cab to JFK Airport.

"John?" a female voice suddenly said. "Tommy told me you'd be here."

John whirled around and saw Emily standing there, next to a cab that was running and had a very irritated driver behind the wheel, "My mom's visiting Captain Miller tonight, so I was home alone," Emily explained. "Tommy phoned me and said that you were flying to Miami at midnight."

"Yeah, I'm going to look for my sister and Kylie Nieto," John replied in a calm tone. "I know who took her and he told me that they were going to end up in the hands of child molesters."

Emily was silent for a moment and then placed a hand on John's arm, "Let me go with you," she said, gesturing towards the cab. "I can help you...you know, in case you get sick or something."

"Oh, like Officer Boscorelli is "helping" my mom by sharing a bed with her in a non-sexual way so she won't have nightmares about how Edward Addison used to beat the crap out of her?" John said, a slight irritation in his tone. "I'm sorry, Emily, I shouldn't be annoyed with you."

Emily shrugged, "That's all right," she replied pleasantly. "Anyway, let me come with you."

"Emily, this is gonna be dangerous," John replied. "I have some demons in Miami that I need to face...demons that aren't gonna go away until I do something about it. My little sister and Kylie Nieto are suffering because I'm such a screwup and I have to deal with this....alone."

Emily glared at John, "Cut the crap and know that people care about you," she snapped, putting her hand in his own. "We can take this taxi to JFK and go from there...let me help you."

John studied Emily for a moment and then nodded, "All right, but if we run into trouble in Miami, you protect yourself first," he stated as they walked to the cab. "Don't worry about me."

"I am not going to make that promise," Emily replied firmly. "Let's go."

Intrigued by Emily's spunk, John allowed himself a smile and got into the cab with her.  
*********************************************************************************************************  
Even in the wee hours of the morning, New York and its inhabitants never stopped stirring.

The Sullivan apartment was silent as Bosco wandered into the kitchen to grab glasses of water for both himself and Danielle. They were both thirsty and he told Danielle to just stay in bed and rest.

Sully had gone to bed around eleven, thinking that John would sleep on the hideabed all night.

David had gotten a sleeping bag from his grandfather's closet and was asleep in the far corner of the room and not stirring. He hadn't stirred when John had quietly slipped out of the apartment.

Nobody knew of Bosco and Danielle sharing a bed as of yet, but that comfort made Danielle feel better and they had secretly reached an agreement that it would be strictly non-sexual.

It didn't take long for Bosco to get glasses from a cupboard and fill them with water.

As Bosco moved away from the sink, a note on the table caught his eye. 

Frowning, he moved over to the table and picked it up; the note was from John and it said that he had gathered some resources together and was flying to Miami to save some innocent lives, even if it meant his own would end disgracefully. The note had ended with an apology from John for being a waste of space and asking for his family to look after themselves and that he loved them.

Bosco swore and carried the note into the bedroom that he and Danielle shared, "Danielle," he said, seeing that Danielle had fallen back asleep waiting. "Danielle, wake up."

Danielle opened her eyes and sat up in bed, "Maurice, what is it?" she asked, seeing the panic-stricken look on his face and the note in his hand. "What is that in your hand?"

"John decided to take matters into his own hands," Bosco stated as he handed Danielle the note.

Danielle skimmed the note and frowned, "Maurice, wake my dad," she said as she got out of bed, revealing a gray t-shirt with her casted arm in a sling and sleep pants. "I'm calling Faith."

As Bosco left the room, Danielle gripped the note and grabbing the phone, she began to dial.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Meanwhile, on a plane that was between New York City and Miami, John and Emily sat side-by-side on a plane that was filled to capacity with passengers who were mostly sleeping.

There had been no trouble in getting to the airport and using Sully's credit card to buy two tickets to Miami on the midnight flight; one was one-way and the other was a two-way, as if there were problems, Emily would need a way home that was safe and fast.

Getting through security had been simple; the security officer had been sympathetic when John explained that he had diabetes and that him and his girlfriend were going to Miami to visit family who were going through some hard times. It was and wasn't a lie; these were hard times.

If anyone had found the note, John reasoned, they were still trying to figure out how he managed to get on a plane to Miami and where in Miami he was headed; he still had a few hours.

By the time something was done to intervene, he and Emily would be loose in Miami.

Hopefully, Ellie and Kylie were still all right...hopefully they hadn't been played with at all yet.

There were so many demons that John was going to face, but he would do it...for his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is now complete and I could either go directly into the sequel 'Collision of Time and Trials' or into the CSI Miami story 'What Tomorrow Brings' that follows the same timeline as this story, but features the people from CSI Miami. 
> 
> 'What Tomorrow Brings' is an alternate Ending to the CSI Miami Season 3 Episode "Lost Son." What would happen if things had turned out differently? Note thatI altered timelines a bit and both this and the Third Watch story happen in 2004 with the absence/alteration of certain characters and plots.
> 
> 'Collision of Time and Trials' is the sequel to both stories.
> 
> Please let me know which story you would like to see in the comments and I will do my best to appease the demand.


End file.
